You Came from a Tale
by Tachman
Summary: Hinata always dreamt of meeting the people whose mother told her lived among the stars. One day her prayers are answered and her life becomes a legend among the stars. NaruHarem at first, NaruHina later.  Romance/Adventure/Sci-Fi
1. Chapter 1

"**You Came from a Tale"**

**EARLY AN: Hi people! This is my second story ever and current side project to my "The Wandering Sage" story. This is a Romance/Humor NaruHarem with a main NaruHina story placed in a futuristic universe. Reason for that is that I just finished playing Star Ocean: Till the end of Time ****(after 6 years!) and started playing Mass Effect 1 and 2, and I am just thinking of futuristic stuff so to clear it from my mind and refocus on my main project I started this story, give it a try and let me know if you like it.**

**Chapter 1: Watching the Stars**

**Hinata's thoughts**

Mom used to tell me that somewhere up in the stars many different kinds of things lived, gods, angels, demons, kings, queens and so on, all of them in castles of silver or cities of glass. Mom always told me those stories with such faith that only until a few years ago I believed her and always wanted to meet them up and escape from this lands and its customs. You see I and my sister are the only children of father and though we have status on our lands we will never be able to lead the clan or take any decisions for ourselves, those things always fall upon the males of our family and usually their views of women weren't any better than those of commoners or priests.

My sister has already been engaged to a young boy from another clan, however she got lucky since this boy is from a very peaceful respected clan and he happens to adore my sister, she always leads and he always follow diligently.

On the other side I am to meet a terrible warlord who needs my clan's fortunes to start a campaign to conquer lands I will never get to see. Father is a bit reluctant but cousin Neji assures him that the Warlord is willing to share land and loot with the clan in exchange for my hand, for I am cursed with an "unparalleled beauty" or so say the maidens from the temple.

Mom used to say that shooting stars were the carriages from the creatures that lived among the stars and that if you prayed hard enough one of them would fall to listen and fulfill my every wish.

At this point it seemed hopeless but within a few hours of being delivered to a monster and have no say about it, I didn't cared and so lifted my prayers to the two shooting stars crossing the night sky.

To my surprise one of the shooting stars emitted a golden glow and started falling from the sky, and a moment after that, the other also emitted a similar glow and also fell from its path. I remained watching the falling stars with great expectation as they started spiraling and several lights went from one star to the other; it was a wonderful dance of beautiful lights as both of them fell graciously to the lands beyond the mountain range until they disappeared from my sight. I managed to still see some intense lights coming from behind the mountains and then nothing as two smoke pillars rose.

It wasn't long before all lights in the house were lit and guards started to scream about the bad omen of two stars falling from the sky. I went back to bed just in case Neji decided to barge in worried about his investment.

**End of Hinata's ****thoughts**

As the guards on the house rose at the screams of a seemingly demented priest who did nothing but speak of a bad omen, given that two stars had fallen from the sky on the lands behind the near mountain range.

Lord Hiashi Hyuga demanded to know what was going on since he had been asleep preparing for the ceremonies of the next day. Along with him the Warlord Rikai also raised his men and readied himself for battle given the confused state of the entire clan grounds.

"Lady Hinata! Are you alright!" asked Neji as he barged inside her room.

"I am fine cousin, what's all the noise about? Something happened?" asked a convincingly half asleep Hinata.

"You could say that, the local priest and some guards claim two stars fell from heaven behind the mountain range and now everyone are confused, the fools think it's some sort of bad omen or a sign of the gods. Foolishness if you ask me!"

"Neji, it's disrespectful to speak like that, maybe the gods did send a message you would be wise to at least learn what it is about!" nearly screamed Hinata at Neji's disregard for their people's ancient lore.

"Looking for excuses to delay your future wedding my lady?" said a smug looking Neji.

"Go away cousin, I know you hate me so spare me your cruelty, by tomorrow I will be in the arms of a most distasteful monster and you will have a clear path to rule the clan" said Hinata on the verge of tears.

Neji smiled but decided against doing anything else, his greatest victory was only a day from now, he could wait…

To Neji's dismal the very next day the warlord had called off the wedding until better signs of the gods presented themselves for which he had prepared to start a pilgrimage through the temples in the local villages and cities, said pilgrimage would take him around a month if lucky.

On the other side a lot of people in the clan's main grounds were gossiping and speculating all day long about the two fallen stars and their possible meaning. Some said it was a bad omen about the end of days, others that the gods were forbidding Hinata's wedding from occurring, others that that the gods wanted a temple built on the other side of the mountain, and so on different theories were discussed throughout the otherwise boring clan grounds.

At the clan's council there was also a debate about the two fallen stars significance and the possibilities it represented. At the meeting was the council of elders, Lord Hiashi Hyuga current leader, Neji as the most likely heir and several priests and high maidens from the nearest temples.

"We the gathering of high maidens see this as a clear sign of the gods disapproval of lady Hinata's marriage to the Warlord Rikai; such a graceful maiden is required to enter the service of the gods as one of our travelling maidens!" spoke an aged high maiden before the gathering.

"Oh shut up old hag! You only want to use Hinata's known beauty and kind heart to gather more funds, we all know that's the reason you always pick the most beautiful girls for that purpose! No! The gods sign is a clear one, they want all the local lords to hold services and patronage new temples, as they are displeased with our current level of faith!" spoke a fat priest with the nodding approval of his retinue.

Neji getting tired of those factions foolish bickering stepped up with lord Hiashi's silent approval.

"My lords and ladies, it is obvious the gods had sent us a sign, but are we not arrogant to presume to know what their intentions are less we investigate further? I propose we prepare an expedition to where the stars fell as to ascertain the true nature of the gods' intentions"

One of the few elders who always saw Neji's ambition decided to throw a small wrench on his obvious attempt to take advantage of the situation "And who should we send to investigate? The path through those mountains is a perilous one even though they are unpopulated and an ancient road goes through them. We can't hope to send representatives from the priests or the maidens since each would bend their story to accommodate their goals as for our family we can't be trusted either by any of the one's here" as he said that both the priests and maidens nodded furiously after being called distrustful.

Neji was obviously outsmarted here, he had intended to mock an exploration and call it a sign of good tidings or something to calm things and make lord Rikai return sooner, but being the genius he was quickly thought of a plan that would receive full endorsement and give him some personal satisfaction. "Then I propose to send someone whose honesty would not be questioned and would carry out a diligent work"

The old elder and Hiashi feared the glint in Neji's eyes for they remembered that glint from every time he made Hinata cry, so they cautiously asked "And who among us would have such reputation?"

"Why who else? Lady Hinata of course, she is a gracious and pious young woman" this earned the weary approval of the priest who always liked Hinata.

"Her kindness and purity is unrivaled and stuff of tales in the neighboring lands" the maidens also approved wearily since Hinata always volunteered to help them on the yearly festivities.

"And she is our lord's eldest daughter, upholder of our most elevated traditions and as everyone can account for, is a talented performer of our clan's ancient fighting ways. I am certain she is the most adequate person upon we can all place our hopes not to mention that since the day she was born, she was favored by the gods, it is to my belief that she will be welcomed gladly by the gods and return safely to tell us their devices"

This final statement earned him the favor from everyone in the gathering with all doubts cleared except from Hiashi and the elder.

"Neji! I can't believe that man! When I thought he was mean and always hated me, he always finds a way to worsen his reputation before me!"

Huffed a very angry and tired Hinata as she walked on the abandoned path through the mountains towards the now called "Star's valley". Slowly but steadily with a wooden staff she had been walking for half a day completely alone as instructed by the religious cleansing ceremonies she took before departing.

Nonetheless Hinata was enjoying this rare opportunity to be away from the clan, Neji and her duties. A chance to roam freely and do what she pleases if only for a little while, not to mention that though she was honor bound, she could probably use this chance to get back at Neji for every mean thing he did to her since they were small children.

"He he, this isn't so bad after all. The clear air from the mountains, the silence, the chance to wander around, and be away from Neji! Yup this isn't so bad!" thought an increasingly smiling Hinata.

Hinata kept marching happily through the mountains path until she got a clear view of the valley on the other side. What she saw left her speechless, the slope of the mountain was scraped like if something had clawed its side tearing apart trees and rocks making a clean trace to the base of the mountains were two large objects of glittering metal were slumped to each other.

One was ruby red with small black sections while the other was a deep blue with golden sections, both presented several burning marks and holes on their outer "armor"

Hinata immediately remembered the old stories her long gone mother used to tell, perhaps this were the gods carriages and judging by the scenes from last night maybe the gods weren't dancing but fighting.

As she got closer to the carriages the blue and golden one started to emit several noises and some lights started to glow in it, making Hinata jump back and hide behind a large boulder.

"Please provide a Federation's entry code and a valid genetic imprint" spoke in a rather sensual female voice the fallen carriage to a confused Hinata since she couldn't understand a word of what the carriage spoke.

Before Hinata attempted to leave her hiding spot to try and communicate with the "holy vessel" a loud booming sound came from the forests nearby. This in turn made the vessel to emit red lights and a low siren started to sound.

"Boom!" another large sound from the forest, this time closer. Hinata managed to swallow her fear and went to investigate the ever increasing noises. She had dropped her wooden staff and had her sleeves rolled up, she prepared to fight using her family's ancient style though she knew her fighting skill would pale before the might of gods who could sail the heavens.

Hinata treaded carefully she was ready to fight but also to drop on her knees in case the gods questioned her, if she ever had doubts about her faith they were lifted thoroughly. She kept advancing when large light flashed right in front of her and immediately after a red silhouette felled by her side making a small crater on the ground.

The red creature had the complexion of a female, a rather tall one at that; she was covered from head to toe with tight red body armor and a close helmet that didn't allowed her face to be seen. Hinata froze, she sincerely didn't knew what to do, was she a goddess? Was she a demon? Should she run? Should she stay?, but she was cut short when the red armored creature stirred and moved as if pained by whatever attacked her.

Hinata saw in terror when the red armored one noticed her and raised a scarlet short staff that began to glow with an eerie ruby glow, somehow Hinata knew that the intention of the red armored creature wasn't good but her legs weren't responding and the glow was just growing.

Hinata just closed her eyes waiting for whatever divine punishment she had earned, but a blue flash detonated in front of her leaving the red armored one sprawled in the ground motionless and the scarlet staff broken by half.

As she wondered what had happened, the snapping of a branch called her attention. To her far left another armored creature stood while its right hand and fore arm glowed blue. Said creature stood as a very tall male looking creature and his armor was of a very deep blue color with several golden lights glowing at several points, its helmet was also a closed one so its face remained concealed.

Hinata somehow knew she had just been saved by the other creature so still thinking of them as gods kneeled before the approaching male creature who cocked his head as if confused over her behavior. As she kept kneeling and reciting her prayers, she felt the warm and heavy hand of the creature on her shoulder as it spoke to her in an unknown language.

Hinata raised her face when the god finished speaking and lifted her easily from the ground; clearly the god knew she couldn't understand a word of what he was saying so he signaled her to don't move to what she shyly nodded.

The god walked to the felled goddess and kneeled beside her, and started to roam softly his hands all over her, as he delicately graced her body he went liberating several contraptions on the armor making the few glimmering lights to die. The god seemed content since he made a small laughing sound and proceeded next to remove the helmet.

Hinata saw all this in amazement, though she had a reserved opinion for the groping god, she watched the lights on her die and nearly screamed when the helmet was removed and a bright red color flowed out of it. She then realized it was red hair and that the female goddess looked very much like her with the small exception of her more tanned skin, red blood hair and what seemed to be a couple of small horns poking on top of her head.

Hinata was very intrigued with the goddess's appearance, she was like a woman but at the same time was so different, every person she had met shared very similar characteristics with her; lavender eyes with no pupils, pale skins overall with some exceptions and dark hair of either black or brown color and only white when really old.

The god caressed the goddess's face and suddenly started to strip the armor from her leaving her in very tight undergarments of light purple. The god took the armor which now looked like a really long piece of cloth with some hard plating attached to it, and tossed it at Hinata's feet.

The god seemed a bit nervous and stood back as if thinking of something; suddenly he turned and walked a few far strides towards Hinata who in turn flinched when in front of the armored god.

The god once again cocked his head and chuckled a bit and proceeded to make signals to give him something similar to a rope. It took a couple of tries but Hinata finally understood and gave him the holy rope the priests gave her.

Hinata watched in horror as the god used the rather long rope and started to tie up the goddess, the problem wasn't that he was tying her but the manner in which he did (S&M Style!)

How can a god desecrate something as holy as a blessed rope?

The god turned to Hinata and compelled her to grab the armor and the broken staff and follow him as he carried the embarrassingly tied goddess over his shoulder. They walked back to the downed carriages were the god dropped gently on the ground the goddess and walked towards the blue and gold carriage.

Hinata saw how he interacted with the vessel but was more interested when he started to undo the straps of his helmet and slowly removed it revealing the god's face to her, and once again she was enthralled with the creature's appearance, he had golden spiky hair with a short spiky pony tail that reminded her of the sun, a smooth white tanned skin with thin whisker like marks on his cheeks, and two sapphire blue eyes with black pupils.

As she was admiring him, the vessel suddenly opened and the god quickly stepped in and several noises could be heard as well as his voice in a command tone. After some more noises the god stepped out again and slowly walked towards Hinata as if trying not to look threatening while holding a metallic tube on his right hand.

When the god approached Hinata he kneeled in front of her and gave her the brightest smile she had seen in her life. Shyly Hinata blushed a little over such gesture, but her attention was brought to his left hand as small lights glimmered in it, he moved the hand a bit farther making Hinata strain her neck a little as to not lose sight of the little lights when she felt a terrible sting on her neck.

She tried to scream but the pain went away almost as quickly as it came, she suddenly felt in danger and quickly got in position to fight, even if has a god she wouldn't go down without a fight.

The god seemed without a care and just held his hands up in a give up position while smiling contently, then without a warning he spoke.

"Heh, sorry about that, but it's a bit frustrating talking to you if you can't understand anything I tell you, don't worry though beyond understanding me, that shot didn't do anything else, at least it isn't supposed to do so"

Hinata dropped her stance and got her hand to her neck, just now she could understand what the god said. "I can understand you, but I couldn't just moments ago, how?"

The blonde one walked over to her and sat on the ground beckoning to do the same.

"Well basically that shot will allow you to understand every language known to the Enterran Federation, even some that no one speaks anymore, it's quite convenient since no living creature would be able to speak more than 10"

Hinata was amazed "And you can understand me?"

"Well yeah, though you are from a low world, your language was recorded and studied for research purposes, thus becoming part of the data base in the federation"

Hinata remembering her duties and not fully understanding things as federations and low worlds, fell back to her worshipping ways, and kneeling she quickly spoke.

"I am terribly sorry your divinity, please forgive my rudeness and lack of respect for your highest standing among us; my name is Hinata Hyuga of the Hyuga clan, eldest daughter and emissary of my people. My mission is to learn what your intentions are for my people"

The blonde one cocked his head over such behavior and scratched his head as if he was struggling to understand her words and actions. Finally realizing the mistake he tried to clarify.

"Whoa, you got me very wrong, I am no god miss, and I mean I am godly in my own way but nowhere near a true god as far as I know. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, First Class Justicar of the Enterran Federation's Fleet; I am at best a peace keeper"

Hinata was now even more confused "If you are not a god then what are you?"

Naruto puffed his chest "I am a proud member of the Feranian species and proud son to the matriarch of the Kyubi battle fleet"

Hinata just blinked twice and slightly cocking her head she asked "What?"

Naruto almost tripped and sighed "Oh boy, if you really want to know then we better get comfortable since it's a long story little one"

Both Naruto and Hinata cleared some space to sit down between the two felled vessels and lit a fire since the sun was going down and winds started to cool the day.

"You know? Now that I mention it I shouldn't be telling you any of this, not even my name…" said a bit embarrassed Naruto.

"Why not?" asked Hinata as she sat in the most comfortable position the ground allowed.

"Basically, because I could cause you a lot of trouble not to mention, that if you tell others and they believe you it could cause an irreparable damage to your planet's natural development, even disrupt it permanently…or so they say in low systems instruction"

Hinata frowned a little "I think you owe me, since I lent you a holy rope to bind that demon in a most disrespectful manner, not to mention I was sent here alone in the first place to find out about your presence here, I can't go back without some answers. Let me hear your story and I will feel compensated"

Naruto laughed at this little rant "Geez, a hard customer eh? Fine I tell you some things but you promise you won't tell a soul? You will have to come up with a lie for whoever sent you"

Hinata nodded furiously.

"Alright, to begin with Tayuya over there isn't a demon, at least not the kind you imagine, she is a Thornian smuggler and the reason I came to your world is because she made an emergency hyper space jump to the first available destination and I followed, I tried to disable her ship but she started to glide through your world's atmosphere to blind my instruments and give her a chance to escape, I managed to catch up with her and disable her vessel but she shot back and force me to enter your world's atmosphere, as we fell she kept firing on me and I returned fire, in the end our flight systems failed and dropped like stones against the mountain, fortunately our vessels can survive rougher landings so they aren't too badly damaged"

Hinata felt like a child once again listening to her mother stories "So is she a criminal and you some sort of guardian?"

Naruto smiled "Well she is a criminal, a small time one though, and yes you could say I am a guardian but my duties go far beyond than just catching criminals like her; she only happened to be in the same sector and since I had a few encounters with her, I knew she was up to no good. I chased her all the way here and indeed she was wearing a heavy combat armor and a forbidden Thornian sound weapon, not to mention she was smuggling a full cargo of those weapons"

Hinata had a question about the places he mentioned "What is a Thornian and a Feranian?"

"Those are the names of our species and also the name of our home worlds, or at least where our species come from; they are distant planets orbiting stars far away from here, actually they are so far away that you can't even see those stars from here" responded Naruto at the same time his belly announced his hunger.

Naruto was a bit embarrassed and grimaced at the thought of eating one of the ship's rations; they tasted almost as bad as Sakura's cooking in his opinion.

Hinata smiled and brought her pack forward and presented him with some local delicacies she packed for the journey.

"Wow Hinata this thing is delicious, you made it?" asked a pleased Naruto as he licked his own fingers relishing on the taste.

"Yes, I was taught to be a proper lady ever since a little child" answered a proud Hinata.

"You are so good at this, you should teach Sakura-chan how to cook!" said Naruto as he slumped back.

"Sakura-chan? " Said a curious Hinata

"Oh right! She is like my best friend in the whole universe, she is a bit crazy and the toughest girl in the Justicar corps, but has no cooking or any other womanly traits whatsoever. Can't blame her though, being a Hercian is all about warrior stuff, little time for their women to behave like such"

"I see…so how is your home?, as you can see mine must be very humble" said Hinata wanting to change the subject.

"Ferania is a very old world or so says mother, it's full of gigantic ancient cities and a vast blue ocean, most of the planet itself is unpopulated nowadays, and the cities are mostly empty except for the younger settlements. Most of our people moved to other worlds for colonizing purposes and the rest live aboard the Feranian battle fleets"

"Why move away from your home?" said a confused Hinata.

"Resources ran out in the building of the battle fleets and pollution did the rest; currently the planet has recovered a lot of its green but it will take several decades for the planet to sustain large populations again" said Naruto in an uncaring tone.

"Why build the battle fleets?"

"War of course, unlike humanity who settled out from their home world in an exploring and colonizing spirit, we Feranians went with the purpose to conquer other species and have them serve us as slaves. But our battle fleets turned to be weapons too great and so we fell quickly into civil war. In the end after centuries of infighting the 9 remaining battle fleets signed piece and returned to our devastated worlds to rebuild our species. But it proved a very hard work, we had dedicated ourselves so much to war that we lost most of our technological knowledge and became stalled in our purpose. That was until 20 years ago, when humanity made first contact with our species"

"Humanity?" Asked a really interested Hinata

"Yep, humanity was one of the first space faring species in the known galaxy and also one of the most advanced ones, they went for some centuries making first contact with several other species and helping them develop from low worlds to fully developed ones, they brought to the galactic community a golden age of prosperity and laid the foundations of the Enterran Federation. Currently their home world is the Enterran Federation's capital and the most populated planet in it"

"Wow this is a lot, until yesterday I believed this was everything there was to know, my family, my people and the gods we believe in. Then you come along and tell me there are countless people of so many kinds out there. It's just breath taking" said a now laying Hinata.

"I bet it is. Good thing you didn't freaked out on me. Low worlds instruction always say that an accidental first contact can be a traumatic experience for the host planet. Why weren't you surprised with all this?" asked Naruto as he watched the resting Hinata.

"Mother always told me of the creatures living among the stars, their grand cities, how they looked like and how they behaved. I guess it was easier for me to meet you since I used to wish all of mom's stories were real" said a nostalgic Hinata.

"Wow, your mom must be quite the character! Mine always told me stories of Feranian conquest and valor" said a smiling Naruto.

Both had felled in a long silence after that exchange.

"Say Naruto, will you be able to go back to your home?, your vessel seems badly damaged…" said a hopeful Hinata.

"My ship and Tayuya's aren't too badly damaged but are currently in self repair mode, it should be enough to lift us into space and once there flare up a distress beacon for another vessel to pick me up…" said Naruto as if wanting not to talk about it.

"I see…Would you return someday and visit me?" said Hinata.

"I am afraid not, it's against the law for space faring species of the federation to land on low worlds and much less meet low worlders and only a pardon is granted if it was an emergency situation like mine" said a uncomfortable Naruto.

"And couldn't your people accept mine to be part of your federation? We are very civil and diplomatic, not to mention that though we have wars they are rare" said Hinata insistently.

"It's not that, your people may be good candidates but given some bad experiences the federation no longer uplifts low worlds that don't fulfill a certain criteria. Your people need to be able to at least send someone into space, have long range communication devices and a coherent social and governmental structure. Sadly your people haven't even found the means to fly, much less travel into space. According to the ship's computer your world is at least 500 years away of development before any significant technological breakthrough allows you to be considered for uplifting"

"Very few low worlds had been considered for uplifting and it's only because of a very attractive and convenient trait of said species"

"Oh…so tonight would be your last time here…"

"Yeah, it's a shame you have a beautiful world…let's just get to sleep" Said Naruto as he got up and walked Hinata to his vessel, where both would be able to sleep in the ship's quarters while Tayuya who remained sexily tied was placed in the small cell of the vessel.

The next day Naruto woke up early to run some pre flight checkups and see if his beloved vessel was space worthy, it would hold space travel but planetary landing was out of the question since the stress on the hull would leave the ship unable to lift once again. Content with the checkup and taking advantage that Hinata was still asleep, it was high time to "interview" the prisoner.

Making a gleeful bee line to the small vessel's cell he could tell Tayuya heard him coming, she could always try to be a bad person but deep inside she was just a misguided revel.

On her side Tayuya nearly screamed when she saw herself tied in such "inappropriate" manner but remained calm since her armor and weapons were securely locked away and she was currently in a cell, not to mention the damn rope was really hard and well tied around her body so every time she moved the ropes began to stimulate her stopping her attempts to escape less she makes a mess of herself.

So biding her time and waiting for the pervert to come and check her, she would head butt him and bite him if necessary, hopefully she would find a way to free herself.

She relaxed her respiration when the door of her cell opened and heard footsteps entering. She needed to wait until his face was close enough to feel his breath.

Naruto could tell she was trying to keep herself calm and with closed eyes, so as to play with her, he started to lightly brush his fingers against her legs, her thighs, her arms.

Tayuya tried to remain calm but it was certainly hard under such ministrations, she wanted to laugh a bit over the small tickles of his fingers.

Naruto knowing her struggle decided to wake her up already so he moved his face all over her body from her exposed stomach all the way to her face while slowly breathing over her.

Tayuya felt herself growing hot but his breath told her he was moving closer to her face, just a little longer and he would sport a broken skull.

Naruto stopped a little but continued upwards until his breath was directly on top of Tayuya's face.

At that instant Tayuya opened her furious eyes and threw her head towards Naruto's face with all her might, only to be intercepted by Naruto's lips on hers. Surprised over this she opened her mouth only to have it ravished by Naruto's tongue. Tayuya tried to resist but the more she moved the more the ropes stimulated her, not to mention the kiss was very intense and leaving her breathless. After a while she started to clumsily reciprocate the kiss and moan a little.

At this point Naruto let her go and found her blushing heavily, panting and with glazed eyes.

"Tayu-chan, I didn't knew you were such a wild girl!" said an almost laughing Naruto.

Tayuya regained some composure and finally realized who the one who caught her was

"Uzumaki! You sly bastard! How dare you! I will fucking rip off your balls for this!" screamed a still blushing and nearly crying Tayuya.

"Now now Tayu-chan, you are under arrest for smuggling illegal weaponry, carrying level 5 weaponry with yourself, possessing level 5 armor and attacking an Enforcer. Don't make it worse than it is by insulting me, if you behave I may put up a good word for you, that kiss already helped you a lot in my opinion!" said a now grinning Naruto.

Tayuya just wanted to keep screaming but knew it was no use, Uzumaki was good Justicar despite being a sly fox in her mind, so she breathed a little to speak.

"Fine you got me, where is my vessel and the cargo?"

"Don't worry, your ship wasn't destroyed nor did your cargo" responded Naruto as he filled some status in a data slate.

"Where are we? In the persecution I didn't noticed to what sector did we moved."

"We are in the Augyan system on the only populated world, a low world by the way" responded Naruto as he finished his data input.

"A low world? Damn! I seriously screwed up with controls then, I meant to travel to the Soundya systems" said Tayuya as she blew a hair strand from her face.

"Soundya systems! Now that's useful information, I am certain the judge magister will be lenient with you and your cooperation!" said a grinning Naruto, indeed Tayuya was just a mislead revel not a real criminal.

"Crap! Who cares anyway, I am not getting paid after this anyway so screw those scumbags!" said an embarrassed Tayuya over her big mouth.

"Well Tayu-chan we will be leaving in a few hours, so get comfortable. By the way I hope you don't mind but I took some pictures of you, you just looked angelic as you slept! Ha ha ha!" said Naruto as he came out from the room before Tayuya began screaming profanities at him.

Tayuya did scream a little but after it she sniffled a little "You big dummy, that was my first kiss…"

Naruto was very content and walked over the quarters to wake up Hinata, he needed to start running preparatory systems for takeoff and needed to enslave Tayuya's ship to his own in order to leave no trace of their presence on the planet.

As he entered he noticed Hinata's was still asleep

"Heh, can't blame her, she learned a lot in such short notice, though she took it quite well"

At this Naruto kept watching her as she breathed softly, at this point she turned around revealing something Naruto missed completely last night. Before him Hinata's larger than average breasts heaved up and down under her robe as she kept sleeping.

"Damn! Those have to be one of the largest and nicest racks I have seen in a long time. I am ashamed, how couldn't I notice them earlier?"

Naruto turned around for clues only to find a large stack of silky bandages on the small desk in the quarter.

"So she uses bandages? No wonder coming from a low world and being very religious, she probably hid those wonderful gifts as to not look indecent to others. And of course keep temptations to a minimum. Heh, maybe I should have pretended to be a god, and then maybe I could have…heh heh heh"

Naruto's perverted laughs stirred Hinata to wake up, who at the moment she saw Naruto quickly covered herself with the bed's thermal blankets.

"W-W-What are you doing here! It's improper for a man to be in a woman's room without them being married or blood related!" almost screamed a blushing Hinata"

"Ha ha ha, you are so cute! You really have your customs well nailed! Anyway I came to wake you up, I am leaving in a few hours and you need to be on your way back home by then, I think you would like to take a shower before you go" said a still smiling Naruto.

"Shower?" asked a perplexed Hinata as she allowed the blanket to drop a little giving Naruto a better last view of her "attributes".

"I think a bath is a better word in your case, thing is a small room were water comes out strong and warm, it's a really refreshing way to start the morning. Let me know when you are done!" said Naruto as he opened the bathroom door open and walked outside to stretch and proceed to enslave Tayuya's vessel to his.

Hinata on her side stepped into the room Naruto had told her was the bathroom; she undressed and stepped into the small boxed area where the same sensual female voice asked her for water pressure and water heat. Hinata simply asked for a gentle pressure and the water to be mildly hot. The computer answered her by throwing a really strong and hot water torrent at her.

Finally after several attempts Hinata managed to have a decent bath albeit an exhausting one. She came out quite refreshed but with her skin a bit red since she stayed too long with the hot water.

She walked through the small vessel until she reached the cockpit, where she sat down at the copilot position. A virtual screen appeared before her immediately scaring her due to the surprise. The computer requested her command to which Hinata thought to be a unique opportunity to see part of Naruto's life.

"Ah computer, please show me Ferania…" said Hinata while looking behind her shoulder to see if Naruto wasn't there yet.

The computer displayed several pictures of the planet, it had a massive supercontinent and several smaller ones along with a huge ocean that engulfed them all. Next to this several aerial pictures of the planet's surface depicted the towering buildings of the ancient Feranian cities, some were crumbling and others stood proudly glimmering in a copper tone against the sunset. Following them pictures of some Feranians appeared, like Naruto they all sported unique and different traits, some carried broader whisker marks, others had their eyes encircled by black rims and mostly had bright colored hair. At last appeared the picture of a very stunning woman with really long red hair, red eyes, thick whisker marks and a huge bright smile.

"She looks a bit like Naruto, specially that smile…computer now please show me the Enterran Federation's capital" said Hinata once more looking for any signs of Naruto coming to surprise her.

The computer closed all the Feranian related material and displayed pictures of the Capital world, also known as Terra or formerly Earth. The pictures depicted large white glimmering cities and countless breath taking buildings, statutes, forests and a infinity of people roaming it's streets.

"Wow, just like mom used to say, so those places do exist…after seeing this…and having to return with the family and that Warlord…I wish Naruto would take me away with him…This is a unique chance, he said he would never return, and now that I found out how big life can truly be this world seems so small and unfulfilling…I am going with him, hope they don't get mad with him"

Hinata turned around and went to the security locker Naruto had left barely open last night (a real pro) and took the goddess armor and tuck it away in her small pack. At that moment Naruto returned smiling to see Hinata was already up and going around.

"Had trouble with the shower?" asked Naruto as he walked over to the cockpit to run some more tests.

"Ahh, no no problem at all Naruto!" almost squeaked Hinata

Naruto sent her a quizzical look but dismissed it "You have something for breakfast? Honestly I liked your cooking a lot and I would like to taste it one last time before I go back to military rations and Sakura's culinary experiments!"

"Sure, let me go out and set a small picnic for us, let's enjoy our last meal together!"

With this Hinata almost ran out of the vessel and went to secluded area near the vessels, where she brought some ink and paper to write a note.

"Well it's a farewell note for father and Hanabi…and a little something for Neji! Heh heh heh"

Hinata finished writing her note and left with it her father's heirloom as proof of its credibility. Afterwards she sat to prepare the little breakfast for her and Naruto.

"Hinata, you are the most talented cook I have met, I almost wish I could take you away and make you my personal chef or at least teach Sakura how food is supposed to taste! Ha ha ha! Said Naruto as he patted his full stomach.

"I am glad you like my cooking, I also wish I could go with you…" said a convincingly sad Hinata

"What? But this is your world and here is your family as well, you aren't serious, do you?" said a suddenly troubled Naruto.

"It is my home…world as you say, but my world now seems so small and insignificant. My family would miss me but I am certain they would have liked to see me happy (except for Neji!) Are you certain you can't take me away with you?" said Hinata with also convincingly pleading eyes.

"It's against the law and I am already in a lot of trouble as it is, besides I know your world doesn't seem like much but believe me, you would miss it after a while…I am sorry Hinata, I truly am…" said Naruto now really crestfallen.

Hinata rose and went to Naruto, she graced his cheek and gently said "Don't worry, you have duties and people to answer to, so am I. I thank you for the chance to let me grasp a bit of my dreams, I will be forever grateful to you"

Hinata smiled a little and Naruto did as well.

"Ah Naruto, could I ask you something from you?" said a now strangely confident Hinata

"Sure anything!" exclaimed Naruto eager to please her.

"Would you fly over the mountains? I would like to see your vessel flying in it's full glory!"

"Ah, that would scare the inhabitants on the other side, but they will regard it to some god stuff. Ok you want a show I'll give you one!"

"Thanks Naruto, I really appreciate it"

"Alright! Time to go! Anveena! Start up the engines of my vessel and the rogue trader's" almost screamed Naruto to the vessel as he strapped himself.

The engines started with a low hum and increased to a thundering roar as they gained power. Both vessels started lifting from the ground with some difficulty but steadily nonetheless.

"Great! Now let's give this little planet the show of a lifetime!" At this he pressed the thrusters and sped up along the mountain slope towards the summit. On the other side at the small Hyuga clan village everyone kept staring at the mountain awaiting some sign of the gods, it's been two days since Hinata had gone and nothing happened yet.

Then everyone heard a loud thunder and two brightly colored objects rose with a thunder over the mountain and sped up towards the sky, leaving them all amazed and terrified, except for lord Hiashi who fearing for his daughter went with several guards and Neji on their horse like creatures to the other side of the mountain.

By the time Hiashi, Neji and the guards arrived to the other side, they noticed the scrapes on the slope of the mountain and the burning marks at the bottom. Hiashi looked frantically for Hinata while Neji did as well albeit for different reasons. One of the guards shouted he found something.

Enveloped in her clothes a letter along with Hinata's family heirloom a letter was attached.

"_Dear Father and Sister,_

_I am writing this letter as to inform you that indeed I have met with the gods and they had given me much knowledge and gifts of great value. But along with them instructions for our people and all the people of every known land._

_They no longer want women to be treated the way they are, the gods demands that all women be given equal rights and opportunity as men, also they will be given any heritage they deserve by inheritance rights, so that makes Hanabi the rightfull heir to our family, she will be blessed if this happen._

_Also the gods want Neji to be punished for his relentless ambition, they demand from him an act of humility in which he will have to travel the land in constant pilgrimage for 5 years and make many acts of piety on every temple he stops at._

_This is the will of the gods and it's also their will I accompany them to heavens were I will look after all of our people and bring them many blessings._

_I hope I may return some day but fear not for I am going to a better place._

_Love you always_

_Hinata Hyuga, maiden of the gods"_

Hiashi started crying and Neji was downright furious but after witnessing the gods departure he would not question their commands.

"To any vessel in the neighboring sectors, this is Justicar Naruto Uzumaki, I am requesting immediate assistance, please respond" said Naruto for the hundred time in all channels.

"This is Enterran battle cruiser Cyclops, we hear your request, where have you been Naruto!" responded a slightly annoyed voice.

"Captain Kakashi, I am so glad to hear you! It's a long story and I will tell you in detail but for the moment I cant's jump to hyper space and I have a second vessel loaded with weapons, so I need the Cyclops to reach me"

"Fine Naruto, we will be there in a second"

Naruto sat back and relaxed as the Battle cruiser arrived on Augyan orbit to pick him up.

"Hey Naruto, how many prisoner did you take?" asked the Kakashi.

"Just one, why?" asked Naruto.

"Because I am picking a third life signal on the other vessel"

"What!"

**AN: Done, first chapter of my second story!**

**First than anything though this story may pick interest remember this is a side project so don't expect updates regularly.**

**Second, this is a NaruHina story but as you saw it will begin and stay as a NaruHarem story for some time so don't complain.**

**Third, I don't like bashing of any kind against any character, the best you will get from me is embarrassing and comical situations.**

**Fourth, Yes Sakura is Naruto's best friend so don't even mention it, she will be a good character I promise.**

**Fifth, as you probably noticed already all of Naruto's characters depicted in my story will sport original personalities so don't go around telling me how out of character they are.**

**Sixth, this story will have a lot of sci fi influence in it.**

**Seventh, check my profile for my main project.**

**Read, Enjoy and Review.**


	2. The Stars Welcome You!

**Chapter 2: "The ****Stars welcome you!"**

**AN: Some clarifications before continuing the story.**

**Body armors are like those found in mass effect except the weaponry will vary depending on the Justicar, character and only regular troops and mercenaries will carry standard projectile weapons.**

**Ships – Enterran Federation ships will be like the human crafts in Mass Effect, Feranian ships will be like a less gothic version of the Warhammer 40k ships with some minor modifications. Other faction vessels will be explained later.**

**Justicars are like a combination of Warhammer inquisitors and Mass Effect Spectres, I will develop this point further.**

**On with the story!**

Naruto have had his good share of problems since he graduated as a Justicar and was given his first assignments, excessive force, sexual harassment, criminal behavior and interfering with another Justicar's assignment. But all those problems were quickly overlooked since he gave results and it happened to other Justicar's from time to time, nonetheless to meddle in a low world and much worse, bring on board a low worlder; those weren't things that happened everyday to a Justicar.

The Cyclops had taken both Naruto and Tayuya's vessel into its bay docks and had sent security teams to secure the prisoner and the smuggled cargo. Naruto practically threw a still tied and gagged Tayuya over to the security team while he ran to the other vessel which was about to be opened. He ordered the guards to stand back as he quickly opened the door to reveal a female clad in Tayuya's body armor shyly trying to cover her well shaped body in the tight fitting armor.

Recognizing such behavior he tilted his head and asked "Hinata? Is that you?"

The red armored female nodded and apparently tried to speak but she didn't have the proper codes to initialize the armor's inner systems.

Naruto proceeded to remove the helmet allowing Hinata's long dark hair to flow beautifully while she took a long breath.

"The air inside was strange and the armor started to choke me!" said a panting Hinata

"Well that's because the ship's life support systems were off line to save energy and you didn't knew how to start up the armor, you were breathing whatever air got inside the ship when I opened it for inspection." Responded Naruto while looking a bit serious.

"But why did you hid in the ship?" questioned Naruto trying not to sound harsh since he didn't wanted to make Hinata sad.

"That, I would like to know as well. Tell me Naruto is she by any chance Tayuya's accomplice?" spoke a slim man clad in a blue and golden uniform (Mass Effect human navy officer uniforms) with grey hair a mask and an eye patch.

Every person on the docking bay sopped their routines and stood straight giving a salute to the man.

Hinata watching their behavior saluted as well.

Kakashi chuckled at her behavior which immediately told him she was by no means a criminal, but maybe an unlucky bystander.

Naruto got very nervous at his questioning; he just didn't have any excuse for this one.

Hinata bowed deeply and said loudly "Excuse me sir, my name is Hinata Hyuga and I am from the world Naruto just got out from, I came onboard without his permission or knowledge, whatever punishment he has earned for this please spare him and lay it upon me"

Hinata… whispered Naruto.

"Hmmm, so according to this you are telling me she is a low worlder. Naruto can't believe someone like her outwitted you!" said an eye smiling Kakashi.

"Anyway, we have too many bystanders so let's take this to my quarters" said Kakashi while every crew member turned around pretending they didn't see anything.

"So basically Naruto, you pursued Tayuya after leaving a trace of destruction behind, carelessly jumped into a low system, where you have no authority by the way, crashed near a populated area of the planet, manhandled your prisoner and revealed the universe's "Truth" to a low worlder without knowing if she wouldn't suffer a mental breakdown. And finally you were careless enough as to inspect your vessel and Tayuya's before taking off, violating procedure" said Kakashi in a boring tone while Naruto flinched at every mistake, flaw and crime he just committed.

Hinata stood by his side now changed into a more proper outfit which consisted of a white medical robe from the most "gifted" medic on board, still it hugged her too tight, she always cursed her ever growing chest.

"But captain Kakashi! Tayuya was smuggling forbidden weapons into the Soundya systems, level 5 ones at that! I couldn't just let her go because she hid in a low system! Also she used that weaponry against me and attempted to use it against Hinata! She can vouch for me on that one!"

Hinata nodded confirming Naruto's recording.

Kakashi closed his eye and sighed "Even if all this is true, you have no way of proving any of this, and according to law you enforced federation's authority in neutral territory and no judge magister will take a low worlder's testimony as proof of anything, at best technically you are in more trouble than Tayuya, according to her flight records she was carrying sound enhancement devices, not weapons and she keeps insisting she had the level 3 armor with augmentations in case of pirates. Legally she did no wrong and actually requested to file an official complaint for your behavior"

"That sneaky bitch! And even after that great make out session!..." mumbled Naruto.

"Nonetheless, since much of this mess happened where no accounts can be made and a large cargo of weapons was stopped, your superiors will probably look the other side, again. Naruto as your friend I ask you to stop and consider the things you have done so far as a Justicar, wherever you tread you only confirm the Feranian violent reputation! I know you have a blunt as hammer approach to your job and though you have done some great accomplishments they are often eclipsed by the disaster you leave behind and the little responsibility you take for them. I know the higher ups have you in high regard but there is a limit to how much their careers will suffer for you" said Kakashi watching Naruto with sympathy.

"I know Sir! It's only that I was never very bright and I go after the most violent criminals, it's not my fault they bring really big guns with them!"

Hinata watched their exchange, seeing the confident Naruto being scolded by a less impressive man, not to mention she was the cause for much trouble.

Kakashi noticed Hinata's stare and changed subjects.

"Anyway, Naruto your real trouble does not involve Tayuya but our pretty guest here, you now it's a serious felony to basically pluck people out from their home world's specially low ones"

Naruto jumped a bit "But Kakashi I never meant to bring her, I told her I couldn't, and she already said it was her own decision to stowaway on Tayuya's vessel"

Kakashi raised his hand to silence Naruto and staring directly to Hinata he spoke slowly "Miss, you must understand that your actions signify a great deal of trouble for the Federation and not only for Naruto. There are laws forbidding making first contact without the proper criteria and permits from the Federation for good reasons"

Hinata bowed ashamed and spoke hurriedly "I am very sorry to violate your rules Sir, but after meeting Naruto I just needed to see his world with my own eyes, please if any punishment is to befall Naruto I ask to take it as well!"

Kakashi sighed again "Miss, first than anything, for once Naruto isn't at fault here though he is likely to be blamed anyway, your current standing hasn't been informed yet so I am in position to overlook some procedures and just take you on one of the vessels gunships back to your world and make you promise you won't tell a soul of what have you witnessed. Would that be agreeable? That way you would spare Naruto a lot of problems"

NO! I am sorry but I am not going back home without a fight, and if you force me I will tell everyone about you! Even that impossible hair style of yours! And for some things I left behind I assure you everyone is going to believe me! Sir…"

Kakashi coughed a little over the small outburst "Seems like you are not so shy, fine since you are not willing to return quietly and spare us all a lot of trouble I will inform the high command since Naruto is involved in this whole business"

Kakashi asked the comm. officers to establish a link with Terra's fleet command. After waiting a little a female voice announced that Grand Admiral Senju was waiting.

At this both Kakashi and Naruto stiffened and Naruto started to sweat a little.

At the screen the first image was that of a large generous chest barely contained by a white and gold uniform.

"Kakashi! What is it? Did Naruto blow up someone again!" spoke a strong female voice.

Both males blushed madly before the generous picture in front of them, and neither made a move to correct the superior officer. Hinata watching with some disgust at the two males as Naruto started to smile a bit.

"Ah ma'am would you please adjust your device? We can´t see your face…" Said shyly Hinata.

"What! Ah hell that midget Shizune used my comm. link again! She is having it this time! Anyway what is it Kakashi¡ Oh Naruto is with you and a medical officer? Did he got hurt or something?"

Recovering from their "show" Naruto and Kakashi straightened up. Kakashi was the first to recover and proceeded to explain in detail what happened, Hinata's presence and origins, everything.

"Mmm, this is quite unprecedented not many first contacts are made this days and this Augyan girl seems to be taking it quite well. If it was up to me I would grant her refugee status and be done with it but this is also a matter for the civilian and scientific authorities. Miss Hyuga, there are no guarantee of you staying on the Federation, you might even be incarcerated for your threats to disrupt your own home world's development, this is your last chance to go back to your friends and family, are you certain you wish to remain in the Federation?" asked a polite Tsunade as she leaned on her folded hands.

Hinata was taken aback; a woman was the army's supreme commander, not in a million years she expected to see that, not to mention she was a stunning woman. But realizing they were expecting an answer she began slowly

"Yes ma'am my wish is to remain here and see this great universe of yours with my own eyes, even if I am incarcerated I would never regret this decision. As for my family, I left them with words of hope and wisdom, they would have liked me to find happiness" as she said this she stole a couple of glances at Naruto.

Tsunade noticed this and smiled a little as well "Very well as of now with my authority you are granted permission to travel in Federation's space, but you are commanded to be present for an audience before the Three great magisters in Terra to ascertain your future; you have to understand that given the unusual situation I can´t take any decision's alone"

Tsunade then turned her sympathetic look to a more serious one and addressed Naruto. "As for you Naruto, since you are responsible for this whole situation you are ordered to bring miss Hyuga before the magisters, not to mention you have your yearly checkup coming up so you were expected to be here anyway, be here in 3 days, I will alert the magisters to make time for an audience and have the medical staff be ready for you Naruto. Grand Admiral Senju out!"

"Wait granny! I don't want to have medics all around me again!" wined Naruto at the black screen.

Kakashi chuckled a little "Well Naruto seems like you are off the hook again, you should take this chance to relax and perhaps consider the possibility of acquiring a retinue, most Justicars have them you know?"

Naruto huffed "I work better alone, besides who would be mad enough to side with me given my reputation!"

"Well there are crazy people in the asylums, anyway, technicians tell me your vessel will be ready for takeoff by tomorrow, but they advise you to change ships soon, unlike Feranians, ships can´t take too much damage."

"Very funny Kakashi, and I just don't have enough money to change ships and the fleet no longer want me taking their gunships and smashing them in my assignments!" said Naruto while having his arms crossed.

"You should ask Ten-Ten for one of her creations, maybe she has a ship in her lab grounds"

Naruto lightened up "Ten-chan? Mmm not a bad idea, just gotta stay clear from her infernal creations and grab a ship while she is looking the other way"

"Hinata, seems like you will have your chance after all, hope you don't get cold feet afterwards. Anyway come with me there is something you gotta see. Kakashi don't pull us into hyperspace before an hour goes by" said Naruto excitedly as he grabbed Hinata's hand and went outside Kakashi's quarters.

Kakashi was left alone but quickly realized what Naruto wanted, so he issued the order to orbit Augya for one hour before going back into federation's space.

Naruto led Hinata while holding her hand tightly with a content smile while walking through the ship. Hinata was blushing madly over the gesture since only men and women in a relationship were allowed to do that; but couldn't help to also blush at the looks every male on the ship sent her way and feel bothered by the hungry looks Naruto received from many of the women on board.

As they walked Naruto felt compelled to speak

"Hinata, just so you know, I think that you are very brave by taking the chance to make your dreams come true, but I have to warn you though, you may be disappointed. The Galaxy can be an incredible place but when something shines brightly, larger are the shadows it casts"

Hinata squeezed his hand "I know that balance exists everywhere, love and hate, joy and sorrow, justice and injustice; I didn't expected to pursue my dreams would be easy, but I rather have a chance and be able to say that at least I tried. Your world is so large and I always wanted to have an adventure like this, I promise I won't complain for whatever tribulations I have to face to see it"

Naruto smiled feeling much more calm, now that Hinata showed her courage. As a child he always wanted to leave the Battle fleet and explore the galaxy, but when the day came to bring him to the military training program of the Federation he tried to hide in one of the massive Feranian vessels, it took 3 days to find him and send him away with a few bruises from his very angry mother. He kind of admired Hinata for showing such determination.

Naruto and Hinata arrived at the end of the aisle they were walking, Naruto let go Hinata's hand and quickly got behind her and as he covered her eyes as he spoke softly in to her ear.

"Ok, Hinata, as a reward for your courage, let me give you the first gift galaxy can give to its inhabitants"

Hinata trembled at the tone of Naruto's voice and allowed herself to be moved slowly through the door that was before them. Hinata walked with Naruto's hands covering her eyes until the both stopped and he allowed her to see again.

Before her stood the most amazing view Hinata had ever witnessed. Countless bright stars lighted the empty black space, and a bit lower they could see Augya like no one had ever seen before. It had several continents Hinata never heard of, she could see lakes and the ocean she never laid eyes upon. Looking up she could see the twin moons closer than ever and shining even more brightly than on the clearest nights.

"Welcome to the stars Hinata…" said Naruto as he allowed Hinata to continue watching the many wonders her small planet could offer.

The Cyclops had jumped back to the Voyager sector of the Enterran Federation where it continued with repairs to Naruto's vessel and had allowed Tayuya to leave on her battered small cargo ship.

Tayuya had agreed to drop the complaints about Naruto's behavior in exchange for some help to repair her vessel

Before leaving Tayuya had gone to confront a frowning Naruto who wasn't happy about letting her go over some jurisdiction issues. She started screaming at a bored Naruto who to shut her up gave a surprise peck on the lips, making her stutter, go crimson and eventually leave without further trouble, though Naruto could swear he saw a small tear attempting to escape Tayuya's eyes.

Hinata on her side was subject to several basic medical checkups to see if the Cyclops environment was affecting her somehow or if she carried any decease that could spread to the other crew members. Once the embarrassing tests confirmed she was perhaps one of the healthiest creatures in the galaxy, by Kakashi´s command she was taken to the ship's library so she could learn a bit of the Enterran federation and the protocol she was to follow when addressed by the Magisters.

Kakashi had warned her that for some historic reasons the three magisters were severely antagonistic with each other but somehow managed to rule the Federation with a firm grip and sustain peace throughout most of its territories and the neighboring factions. The best strategy to gain their acceptance and favor was to treat their questions on their viewpoint.

The Armies Magister Tsunade Senju strangely was her most eager supporter thanks to her relationship with Naruto; Hinata had tried to know more about that but Kakashi told her it was up to Naruto to share that info.

The Galactic Development Magister was in charge of all civilian affairs, colonies, economics, trade, diplomacy and every aspect of civilian life on the Federation. The woman was Lizara Arremius, a cunning politician in her late fifties and one who claimed the seat after a scandal regarding the last Magister. Her standing was of further expansion and increase the number of uplifted worlds since it was a good moment to create even more economic progress.

The Science, Space and Technical Development Magister, the most enigmatic man in the Federation, everyone refers to him as Theron, one could notice that most of his body was cybernetic prosthetics and always kept his face behind a helmet. Rumor was that he was a machine cultist and had his entire body replaced with machine parts, while keeping his brain intact. Strangely he was also a most refined gentleman and was like the voice of reason among the long debates (screaming wars) between the Armies Magistrate and the Civilian one. His goal has always been the safe development of science in the name of every sentient humanoid creature in the federation. In essence the deciding vote for most matters involving Federations top decisions. His motto is the "Logic of the Machine." Though he always vouches for certain "controversial" technologies to be pursued.

Hinata spent a good amount of the first 2 days studying every bit of the Federations history in order to understand Naruto's world a bit better, but during this studies she came across with one particular historic event.

Apparently the Feranians weren't members of the Federation but rather strategic partners, the reasons given by the Federation in the official records said that it was because of the vast cultural a slow integration process.

This made Hinata confused, if Naruto was a federation's Justicar then how could he be also a Feranian? And why is the supreme military commander so protective of an apparent happy trigger?

Hinata would have to seek out many answers, but for the meantime it was more important to ensure her standing in the Federation.

The third day, on the earliest hour Hinata had her brain melted with all the information she needed for her audience while Naruto was personally hand shaking the mechanics who managed to make his beloved vessel space worthy once more.

Hinata had been granted with custom made clothes from a crew member who also dedicated herself to tailoring. Said clothes were just her size, sporting a closed robe of white with lavender lines at the sides helping her eyes stand out even more, military boots painted and stitched with some engravings and a cape to help her remain more concealed, particularly for her generous chest. All in all, she looked like a princess or a foreign diplomat.

Both Naruto and Hinata had said their farewells and were boarding Naruto's long running vessel.

Naruto helped Hinata strap to the cockpit seat while he had ordered the ship to self navigate out from the Cyclops and start calculations for a Hyperspace jump to Terra.

"Ok Hinata, you are set to go, don't be startled by the jump, unlike the Cyclops my ship gives quite a kick when it enters Hyperspace, sigh, Kakashi is right I will have to replace this vessel soon, it's a shame, it was my very first vessel since I got my Justicar status" said Naruto as he finished strapping Hinata to her seat, only problem was that he tied her really tight exposing her chest forward, Hinata had begun to suspect Naruto's actions and his over friendliness.

The ship notified that they were ready and the course was plotted; at this Naruto jumped into his seat, only strapped one seat belt and gave the order to jump.

Hinata was startled by the sudden jump of the vessel into hyperspace, she almost threw up at the initial sensation but it quickly went away when the ship seemed normal once again except for the view outside the cockpit. A tunnel made of clear blue light.

"Amazing, I read about it but experiencing it is a very different thing!" said an excited Hinata as she stumbled with the seat belts trying to get free.

"Yeah, I was very surprised too on my first flight, Feranian vessels don't move in this manner so when I joined the Federation I was a rookie on these terms" said Naruto as he checked a few red lights on the monitor.

The last part stirred one of Hinata's questions for Naruto to come up. "Say Naruto, I was reading and apparently your people aren't members of the Federation, why is that?"

Naruto stopped his chores and looked around kindly, "I was hoping you wouldn't find out that one so soon. Well you see, as I told you the Feranians were one of the first Space faring species of the galaxy, and we unlike humans, set out to conquer other worlds. What I didn't told you was that for a long time before the civil wars began, we did conquered and destroyed many inhabited worlds, billions died under our still undefeated armies. But the conquest wasn't enough and soon the Feranian factions started to fight each other for supremacy and resources. The fighting only left 9 factions alive which finally ended the fighting in order to ensure our survival as species. For this cause we exiled ourselves to our original worlds and there we have struggled to survive for centuries. 25 years ago humanity began exploration of one of the many death worlds we left after our conquests, and clues left behind by our ancestors led them eventually to our territory"

"That's when humanity made first contact with your people?" asked a very interested and almost free Hinata.

"They knew to expect an advanced species and probably a violent one, but our lack of activity beyond our territories mislead them to think we were extinct or reformed. They underestimated us seriously. The first exploring party consisted of a few civilian vessels full of scientists, archeologists and diplomats, apparently word of our technologies had attracted a large number of "adventurers" in hopes of finding new alien technology. They were destroyed without a chance to surrender or inform anything"

Hinata raised her hands to her mouth, what an awful thing to shoot on unarmed civilians.

"After the Federation understood something had gone wrong, they sent a small military detachment led by their most powerful Dreadnaught the "Thunder God" led by war hero Minato Namikaze. He went bravely into our systems and did found evidence of the destroyed civilian exploration party. At that time the Kyubi Battle fleet had detected them and started combat without warning, the Federation's detachment was nearly wiped out instantly by our superior weapons except for the "Thunder God" which managed to fight back using some of the Federation's newest and most secret technologies. In the middle of the battle Admiral Minato managed to send a request to call off the battle and engage in terms of surrender. My mother who was already the Fleet commander was impressed by Admiral Minato's combat ability and had agreed to talk"

Hinata nodded taking it all.

"In the end Minato had managed to calm the Feranians and them in exchange recognizing his skill, declared their interest in meeting with the Federation. Though news of the battle and the indiscriminate attack on the civilians enraged the Federation's government, Minato warned them that the Feranians battle prowess was beyond the Federation's war ability and that a war with them might as well represent the Federation's end. Talks were made and hostilities had ended quickly. Soon afterwards the Federation's government grew alarmed over the genocidal past of the Feranians but the armies and science magistrates were more interested in the Feranian technologies which despite being ancient, were still far superior to anything in Federation's space.

Both Magistrates had offered the Feranians full membership into the Federation but my mother cut them short arguing that she could smell their ambition and that Feranian technology had brought enough death to countless as to allow it to fall into inexperienced hands"

Hinata nodded again and decided to ask "And that is the reason of why your people remain an ally but not a member of the Federation?"

Naruto nodded "That's one of the main reasons but there was another issue, a more subtle but very important one. Most humanoid species in the Federation's fold are diplomatic, and generally seek peace. My people for some reason are brutal, violent, harsh and very aggressive; this generated several problems with Federation representatives and soon enough another crisis was erupting. My mother had explained them that it was our curse, for the spirits of the countless my people had slaughtered tormented our souls and robbed us of any form of inner peace. Admiral Minato once more rose to the challenge and before hostilities began anew he introduced to the Feranian's several meditation exercises to allow the Feranians to have some control over their aggressive nature, many laughed at first but when the Feranian leaders adopted them with joy no one dared to question the results."

Naruto sat again staring at the window

"Eventually a good understanding was reached and Federation - Feranian relations has been improving over the years, I am one of such improvements. My mother gave her only son to become an agent of peace and order. Basically I am an experiment to see if the Feranian's have any chance of becoming Federation members"

Hinata softened her eyes, Naruto had such a great responsibility on his shoulders and by the look of things he wasn't succeeding.

"Wow Naruto, that's a great deal of responsibility, and you insist on carrying it alone? Captain Kakashi mentioned something about getting help, cant' you have any help?"

Naruto smiled and chuckled "Well at first I did planned to get help, but after some _events_ in the academy and on my first assignments, people just avoided altogether calling me to be a larger threat to their lives than any criminal out there"

Hinata gave him a quizzical look, "Why? you seem to be a nice person and you caught that horned girl"

Naruto was now a bit embarrassed, "You see, I do things the Feranian way, I was educated among them for most of my life and you learn soon enough that getting the job done was paramount. But the Federation authorities demand getting the job done right, and believe me, that little extra word carries a lot of weight around here. But it doesn't bother me, I have come through and most of my assignments are too dangerous, carrying people with you only increases the chances of getting them hurt"

Hinata frowned a little "But don't you get yourself into more danger for that?"

Naruto laughed out loudly "Sorry Hinata but you see Feranians are tougher than any other race out there, believe me if someone can go into a suicide mission and return alive it's a Feranian"

As Hinata frowned over Naruto's careless attitude towards his own safety the navigator computer announced that they were dropping out of hyperspace and into the Sol System, seat of the Federation's government and home to over 50 billion citizens spread through Terra, Mars and the many developed moons and stations of the system.

Hinata looked throughout the window and witnessed something even more marvelous than space itself. Hundreds of vessels circulating close to each other and never touching stations, satellites and vessels large as mountains. Naruto was glad she was so marveled as to stop her judging.

"This is Federation's local space traffic control please identify yourself" spoke a male voice through the intercom.

"This is the vessel Shadow Clone, I am first class Justicar Naruto Uzumaki, id 99066 please confirm" said Naruto.

"ID confirmed, welcome Justicar, we are sending the approach vectors for the Phalanx military complex on the moon, Magister Tsunade wishes you to take a shuttle to the capital as soon as possible. Good day sir"

"Thanks, good day too" responded Naruto.

Naruto turned around to a still amazed Hinata.

"Welcome to Terra Hinata"

**AN: Done with the second chapter.**

**Hope people like it though I didn't have many hits with the first chapter.**

**Don't expect an update very soon since I am going to refocus on my main story.**

**Any questions I will be glad to answer as for Naruto being with many women, it will be more like some flings, one night stands he hasn't fallen for Hinata yet and Hinata is starting to dislike Naruto's behavior. But it will improve I promise!**

**Any advice is very welcomed.**

**Read, Enjoy and Review.**


	3. Magisters and Orders

**Chapter 3: Magisters and Orders**

Hinata was once amazed with the incredible world of Naruto, both were currently walking side by side in the Phalanx military installation, Terra's first and largest military facility in space as it now covered nearly half of the Lunar surface making the moon a glimmering jewel on Terra's night sky.

Naruto also explained that this wasn't only the training grounds of his days as a cadet but also the Shield of Terra as it sported the largest and heaviest weapons in the Federation's arsenal and staging ground for the Federation's fleets.

Luna now sported a population of a billion citizens and nearly 30 million soldiers at all time, most of them for defensive and logistical purposes.

On the base Hinata noticed that many older military officials saw Naruto with a lot of contempt as if he didn't belonged there or even within a shuttle's jump to Terra. But Naruto seemed to not care and instead sported a bright smile that made every female cadet melt.

As for herself she could notice that many males, specially the younger ones sent those lustful looks her way. Certainly males in the universe are very shameless but she enjoyed the attention and courteous way men made way for her to pass, much better than back at home where she was last in everything.

Naruto had changed from his usual armor to a more casual fit which seemed more comfortable, he wore a black suit which was closed on the jacket and had a high collar, on his neck stood the golden insignia of the Justicar Corps, which consisted of a Sword piercing a Sun. She had to admit he looked very handsome.

As both approached the docking area she could watch how huge vessels were being loaded with thousands of armored soldiers and heavy self propelled vehicles. Hinata asked to where did those troops were being sent, to which Naruto responded that maybe they were the replacement troops for the border sectors of the Federation.

Naruto had explained that the Federation wasn't the only space faring nation, though it was by far the largest, it have had wars in the past, against non humanoid species in the Yordan veil and the secessionist humanoids of the Uchiha Pact. Wars that involved planet wide battles and huge fleets demanded millions if not billions of soldiers; this made the military Magistrate a very important branch of the Federation's government.

As they approached the docking bays Naruto caught a glimpse of a petite woman with short black hair who was dressed in a similar fashion as Grand Admiral Tsunade. Naruto left Hinata's side and went running straight to her and lifted her high in the air before hugging her in a very affectionate manner. Hinata was a bit off over his behavior since the woman with black hair smiled at Naruto and returned the hug as she patted his head.

Hinata finally reached the two smiling persons.

"Shizune! This is Hinata Hyuga from Augya, she is here for the audience before the magisters!" said a very excited Naruto, from Hinata's perspective he was acting like a small child around Shizune.

"I know Naruto, I was sent here to make sure she got ready before the audience and make certain you are taken to your checkup" said Shizune while Naruto's face fell from hearing the news

"I am XO Shizune, personal assistant to Grand Admiral Tsunade Senju, in the name of the Enterran Federation I bid you welcome to the capital" said Shizune while bowing slightly before Hinata who in turn bowed deeply and quickly responded "The honor is all mine, thanks for the reception and may I extend Admiral Tsunade my thanks for this chance"

Shizune smiled "You have been well taught by Kakashi, remember those manners for they will win you over the Magistrates, just be careful on how you answer their questions, they can be sneaky and trap you in impossible deals"

The trio were boarding a large private shuttle that would take them to the administrative capital on Terra on the city of Nova Avalon which stands in the center of what used to be the Russian federation before the unification wars.

On the shuttle Hinata wondered why Naruto was so annoyed with the checkups, hers went smoothly and without any unpleasant tests though having to undress was bit embarrassing. Shizune answered in a hushed tone that it was because since Naruto was a Feranian and as part of the treaties signed with the Feranians, Naruto's unique physiology was a source of much knowledge for the scientific and civilian communities. Hinata wondered what was so impressive about Naruto, he was indeed in fit condition from what her eyes could tell but so were many of the soldiers on the Phalanx station, but decided that it was a personal matter of Naruto to share.

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The shuttle descended into Terra's atmosphere and Hinata looked through the window at Shizune's request. The wonders seemed to never stop, as the grand city of Nova Avalon sprawled beneath in every direction, kilometric high buildings passed them at the sides and in them Hinata noticed with her always keen eyes the thousands of people going around in them.

The city glimmered in white splendor beneath them, huge statues adorned several intersections and buildings seemed like temples that she could only dream of. In the middle stood three broad and incredibly high buildings, on top of each stood a giant sword, a huge ancient looking book and huge golden cog. Shizune explained that those were the administrative buildings of the Magistrates and in the middle stood the Enterran Council on which representatives of all member species brought their issues before the magistrates.

On the landing docks Hinata appraised several shuttles, some like the one she was riding and many others with different designs and colors. The only thing in common was that all those vessel's looked beautiful and regal, worthy of a king. Shizune noticed her interest and explained that those belonged to the representatives who usually wanted to give a false impression of power and wealth, if only to impress others in the council and gain favor or leverage.

As the group stepped out Naruto was suddenly surrounded by several of the regally dressed representatives who all greeted him in a very courteous and enthusiastic manner. As Naruto hand shake several hands and accepted several compliments from the female ones, who by the way looked very alien to Hinata, one of the female's had her hair shifting colors as Naruto whispered something to her and so on all looked like her but with unique features. Shizune explained that Naruto's popularity was because as a Justicar he was the most powerful law enforcement agent, and as such he had much freedom and influence that no other has, their goal is to be in good terms with every available Justicar as to have some leverage or get a favor in the future. Justicars are allowed a lot of freedom and it's not uncommon for some of them to dabble in politics since it's another tool to make law and order remain.

Naruto finally excused himself, not without having a few contact numbers from the female reps, and rejoined a patient Shizune and a somewhat bothered Hinata.

"Sorry about that. It's one of the reasons I don't enjoy coming to Terra, all those politicians just want me to overlook things if I ever step into their territory, my reputation helps to keep some people in line!" said a proud Naruto.

"Just because they are certain you will make everything explode" added a smiling Shizune as Hinata took the chance to giggle at Naruto's crest fallen look.

As they kept moving up into the building Hinata appraised several paintings and sculptures donated to the Armies Magistrate, some were very old looking and others looked like warriors from several worlds, she wondered if an Augyan warrior would ever be depicted here.

Finally they arrived to their destination, the office of Grand Admiral Tsunade Senju. Inside it was one of the most beautiful decorations she had seen, grand floating holographic map of what seemed to be the territories controlled by the Federation, on the other wall stood a large painting of a old looking man, completely covered in golden and silver medals and an ornate cape, at the base of the painting Hinata's keen eyes managed to read "The Professor". As they moved forward they could notice on Admiral Tsunade's desk several pictures of different people, one had a younger looking Tsunade with two companions by her side, a grinning white haired man whose hands were over his companions shoulders and a very pale eerie looking man with long black hair and terrifying yellow eyes, similar to those of the silver snakes back in her world. Another had good looking man with white hair and a kind smile, other had a smiling young cadet and the last one, almost hidden among the others had a handsome blonde man with a serene demeanor and several medals strapped to his chest. The last picture left her a bit confused since several of the man's traits were similar to Naruto's but she had seen hundreds of people with blonde hair and blue eyes, and the idea that the man was Naruto's father was impossible since Naruto was a Feranian.

Admiral Tsunade entered the room apologizing for her lateness but a border patrol was late for debriefing and some findings demanded her attention.

Hinata was impressed, said woman carried herself with pride and confidence no woman she had ever met had. Also she was impressed to see that despite her title and the endless years a military career demanded, she looked barely older than in the picture were she is with her mates from the academy.

"Granny! Good to see you! How's pervy Admiral? Still trying to get in your pants?" said Naruto with a huge smile on his face.

Hinata couldn't believe he just talked so casually and so disrespectfully to his superior officer, she had learned of how hard was the punishment for lack of discipline in the armies of her own world, but was confused when Shizune just sighed while having a small smile.

Admiral Tsunade had a vein popping out from her forehead and in an instant gave Naruto a powerful punch that sent him flying across the room towards the reinforced gate where Naruto crashed seemingly unconscious.

Hinata just had to admire Tsunade´s strength, not even the mightiest warrior in her home world could match that power, perhaps not even the largest beasts could. Once she recovered from her fascination she attempted to go and help the certainly wounded Naruto but was stopped by Shizune who mouthed a "He is okay" to her.

Naruto stirred and soon started to come back to his senses, despite having his clothes a bit torn he seemed intact after the attack. Tsunade made her way to him in long strides and waited for him to rise again.

Naruto was about to start protesting but was caught in a tight embrace from the admiral and kiss to his forehead before she returned to seat behind her desk. All Naruto did was smile and went to seat besides Hinata, who In turn didn't understood how did Naruto survived such attack and why is the admiral treating him so familiarly.

"So this is Miss Hyuga from Augya, I expected her to be a little bit taller but then again you can't trust those comm. links to give full resolution. Anyway, Miss Hyuga you are here to face the judgment of the three great Magisters and plea your case to the Enterran Federation on why we should let you stay. According to your initial intention you are not willing to go back quietly and you threatened to disrupt your own world's natural development" said Tsunade as she leaned back on her luxurious chair exposing her ample chest.

For a moment Hinata wavered after such crude explanation of her situation, not to mention the admiral made her sound like a criminal. She turned around to find Shizune gazing away and Naruto watching her intensely. Hinata gathered her courage and explained carefully, hoping to change the tone of her intentions.

"Lady Tsunade, ever since I was little I was told many times of the amazing things beyond my grasp. Then one day Naruto arrived and gave me the chance to reach them. I have seen your world and sincerely I don't think I can go back to my old life anymore, If I was forced to I don't think I would be able to live much like that. But I understand I broke your rules and placed many people in a tight predicament, for that, I am willing to accept whatever task or punishment to prove my worth and earn my place among you" finished Hinata as she closed her eyes, she was determined and would weather whatever storm she had to in order to stay here, and by Naruto if possible.

Tsunade frowned while considering Hinata's statement, for beginners there was no force now that would take her back to that ancient life, she had seen that determination few times in her life and had learned to trust those eyes.

She lifted her gaze to see Shizune and Naruto's reactions, Shizune was looking kindly at Hinata while Naruto had stars and tears on his eyes, he was clearly inspired by her words. Sighing she replied.

"Very well Miss Hyuga, first than anything you now count with my full support but that alone is guarantee for nothing, for you to become a citizen of the federation you still have to convince the other Magisters. Arremius is likely to ask you something tricky so be careful when you offer your services, as for Theron…I have known the man for long decades and still can't figure what goes through his mind, but worry not he isn't cruel or ill willed, he is just eccentric"

Tsunade stood once again "In one hour we are expected to meet with the Magisters and their personal attendants, as also several representatives who caught wind of the event and asked to be witnesses of the audience. Only the three Magisters will speak to you, so don't answer anything other people in the audience may ask or express, every word spoken there is recorded forever so be concise and brief"

Hinata nodded taking this very seriously, for them it is only an administrative thing but for her it was a life changing event, one that will determine the rest of her days however short or long they may be.

Tsunade was preparing herself to leave the office by strapping a long white and golden cape over her shoulders, as she turned to Hinata "If by any chance you are granted permission to remain, would you be willing to do me a favor Miss Hyuga?"

Hinata was a bit enthralled with her regal appearance but at Shizune's nudge she quickly answered "Yes of course, I want to make myself as useful as possible"

Tsunade finished preparing and left with a smile.

"Man, that was a bit tense!" said Naruto as he relaxed on his seat "Never expected to see her so calculating about anything!"

"Naruto, that's disrespectful. She is taking this whole matter, as every other, with the seriousness a Magister should"

"Really, then why am I picking a slight trace of brandy coming from behind Old professor's painting?" said a sly looking Naruto to Shizune.

"What? That woman! Every time I get rid of her secret stash of drinks, she makes a new one! Thanks Naruto" said Shizune as she started to move the painting.

"No problem, so let's say in thanks for the help, how about you sign my papers and I skip the whole checkup thing? You are a certified medic after all" said a now hopeful Naruto.

Shizune left the painting and walked towards Naruto, and patting his head said "Naruto, while I know you don't like those checkups, they are necessary for your own health, and they are also very important to your own people, bear with them please?" said Shizune while stroking his unruly hair.

Naruto slumped in defeat "Fine, I'll do it but you will invite me Ramen later ok?" said Naruto while pouting.

Shizune smiled and added "That or I could let you know it will be Ino Yamanaka who will apply your tests this year" spoke softly Shizune in an enticing way.

At this Naruto's defeated expression changed to something that scared poor innocent Hinata, he looked like a hungry Mist Wolf from her world, and those only grinned like that when about to devour some little lamb.

"Ino chan? Are you sure Shizune?" asked Naruto with the same expression.

"Yes, I bet she will be thrilled to see you, it will be the first time since graduation if I am correct" said Shizune in a low voice further encouraging Naruto.

Naruto just kept grinning but straightened himself when noticed the little frown forming on Hinata's face.

"Fine, but will I be present when Hinata stands before the Magisters?" said Naruto as he started to get up.

"I am afraid not, this audience is to be attended by few people, this whole manner is being treated with discretion given the differences between the magistrates over low worlds. This whole thing would be overlooked if not for the Uchiha Pact forming 300 years ago" said Shizune with an obvious contempt for whoever she was referring to.

"Not to mention, you are not on the best terms with Lady Arremius and Magister Theron is likely to drown you in questions about Feranian technologies" said a now more relaxed Shizune as she too stood up beckoning Hinata to follow her.

"Here are the orders for the medical tests you are to take, give them to Ino and inform her that the results are to be sent only to the Three Magisters and all remaining copies and residues from the tests to be destroyed as soon as she delivers the information. She is also expected to make a full debriefing before the Magisters on your results over the next week" said Shizune in a strict tone that didn't seemed natural for her and clearly indicated Hinata of the seriousness in such tests. This only increased Naruto's mystery for her.

"Ok, geez, I do this every year since the academy, I know what to do" said Naruto as he tucked the orders in his jacket and went to Hinata.

"Hinata, no matter what they throw at you, keep that determination at all times. Don't let those titles and high standings intimidate you, they will test your resolve more than anything so don't bend" said Naruto directly in Hinata's face while squeezing her hands.

"I'll see you after the audience and no matter what happens you can count with me" said a smiling Naruto as he left the office.

Shizune stood there watching Hinata stare at Naruto's back as he left, how many young girls has Naruto enthralled so far (except for his psycho friend Sakura!). "If only I was 10 years younger" thought a red faced Shizune.

"Ahem! Well Hinata, let's walk towards the council chambers, in the mean time I'll give you a small unofficial tour of the facilities, you can enjoy a little before we get to the main event" said Shizune to the glowing Hinata who in turn nodded and followed Shizune through the grand halls of the armies magistrate towards the council chambers.

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As they both walked through the many grand aisles of the Magistrate, Shizune found herself busied by some new staff that got lost. Hinata kept walking without noticing as she kept herself lost in all the statues, paintings and decorations of such building on which entire armies could be dispatched with a single order.

As she kept admiring things she crashed into someone who caught her fast in a strong grip and turned her around quickly. Hinata was surprised by the sudden shifting in position and was now staring at very tall woman, actually as tall as Naruto, with a couple of intense jade green eyes which softened the moment her eyes made contact.

Hinata stepped back when the tall woman let her go, she was impressed by the woman itself, she sported jade green eyes which seemed to be considering to eat her or not, a white skin, a somewhat large forehead, a long pink messy hair falling behind her with two bangs framing her fair face.

Closer inspection allowed her to notice the insignia of the Justicars strapped to her neck in the same manner as Naruto, she was dressed in a black tight jacket which had a long skirt like tail behind her, tight biker shorts which ended right above her knees and long black boots, all her attire was etched with silver laces making her look like a darker version of Tsunade's admiral uniform. One particular detail was the silver bands attached to her wrists and ankles above her gloves and boots.

Hinata remembered her manners and also that she was before a Justicar like Naruto "I am so sorry, miss, I didn't looked where was I going"

The Justicar didn't responded immediately but instead appraised her carefully, roaming her entire body with her eyes and slowly circling her. Hinata felt very uncomfortable and didn't like to give her back to such strange character, but as she turned around to face the Justicar she was held in place by her amazingly strong hands. As she was about to protest she felt the hot breath of the Justicar on her ear and the soft almost purring voice "Don't move…" Hinata couldn't help but tremble a little and just gave up as her attacker ended circling her taking every detail of her with leisure.

Hinata had a rosy color to her cheeks when the Justicar stood smiling in front of her once again and just said "Mmm, I like you little one. What's your name?" said in that same voice that made her tremble

"I am Hinata Hyuga miss, I am lost, I was on my way to the Council Chambers" said poor Hinata as she just kept getting more and more hot and bothered with the intense stare from the other female. Somehow that looked reminded her of Naruto's look when that Ino was mentioned.

"Mmm, the Council Chambers are down this hall, you can't miss it beautiful. Hey if you want we could catch up later and…" as the female Justicar kept her advances she was interrupted by the loud booming voice from a young man with the lamest hair cut ever, the thickest brows and strangest eyes.

"My lady! We are running late for debriefing at the Justicar's hold! It would be most un-youthful to be late, and afterwards you have your medical checkup!"

The once enticing Justicar changed her demeanor in a blink and now had her eyes narrowed, her teeth grinding and a large vein popping out from her ample forehead.

"Lee! How many times I have to tell you to not interrupt me while making my moves!" said the Justicar while pointing her finger to the young man who looked shocked.

"But my Lady, how many times I have to tell you that is a most un-youthful thing to do, women shouldn't make moves on women! You should do them on youthful men!"

At that instant her eyes turned into the very promise of death and obliteration, but huffing said menacingly "Lee, I believe it's even more un-youthful to have such narrow mind in these times, so I will forgive you this time but next time I will put you in the air lock and flush you into space"

Turning around that menacing aura disappeared and smiling sweetly at the now confused Hinata said "Sorry, duty calls but try looking out for me" and licking her lips she whispered in her ear "I'll make it worth your time" at this she blowed a little into Hinata's ear making her moan a little by accident making her clamp her hands on her mouth as if she just said something bad.

The Justicar laughed a little and winking she turned around and snapping her fingers had the young strange looking man behind her. Hinata noticed the man had a silver badge depicting a Shield over a silver 12 pointed star.

Before she started walking again, Shizune managed to catch up with her apologizing for leaving her alone but wondered why Hinata had that rosy color on her cheeks. Hinata also wandered what the hell was that and why she felt like that around a female.

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Finally Hinata now stood before the massive steel gates of the council, the gates had beaitful ornaments and engravings depicting what she believed was the human exploration of space and the meeting of all the humanoid species in the galaxy. She was expecting the gates to open fully for her entrance but to her dismay Shizune pulled he through a small side door cleverly hidden at one of the walls near the gate. Hinata felt a bit silly, how would they open such gates for such small person.

Hinata was led by Shizune until a couple of guards with large staffs stopped her and told her they would escort the low worlder to the stand before the Magisters. Shizune accepted and told Hinata to not be nervous and that she would be by Tsunade's seat.

Hinata was escorted by the two tall guards in their highly ornate purple and golden armors to the stand in the main chamber. On her path several representatives sent confused looks in her direction as if not knowing why someone needed such escort.

Hinata was led to a rather small chamber were a stand was place in the middle and three high balconies stared down pointing in her direction. The chamber in her mind was designed to make her feel insignificant, but her thoughts on it were interrupted when the doors in the balconies slammed open and people started pouring in through them.

To the left most balcony, Admiral Tsunade made her entrance while escorted by several officials and Shizune who waved a little to Hinata. In the middle one a blonde hard looking woman clad in a blue and golden dress entered being followed by several persons holding luminescent slates. And finally on the right most one silently but with a wheezing sound a large red robed figure entered being followed by equally dressed people, all silent and with glowing eyes in the shadows of their robes.

Hinata was a bit overwhelmed to be in the presence of the most powerful people in this part of the galaxy, people who commanded the lives of billions, their power was superior to all the kings and emperors of her tiny little world.

The hard looking woman began the talking on behalf of the Magisters.

"Let it be noted that today the Three Great Magisters of the Enterran Federation stand together in order to decide a matter that while not being crucial to the fate of the federation itself, it's important enough as to draw our attention upon a long revised policy of the Enterran Federation, If we are prepared for a new wave of low worlds uplifting era"

At this several of the attendants gasped a little, and Hinata barely heard something resembling the word Uchiha.

The woman continued "Now we shall proceed with the matter at hand. The low worlder Hinata Hyuga from planet Augya in the same name system on neutral territory, made accidental first contact with one of the federation's Justicars and after several questionable acts, now requests a permanent standing in the Federation under the argument that she would disrupt her own home world's natural progression"

At that moment she could feel the heavy stares of many of the attendants.

"Now we will proceed to the full explanation of the events that brought us here" finished the woman as one of Tsunade's attendants began the official statement gathered from the people who had made contact with Hinata ever since she met Naruto.

The whole account went swiftly but apparently every attendant had taken notes and was very well informed on the matter at hand.

Once again, Arremius took the chance to speak "As far as the account goes no formal crime has been committed, yet. But now we stand to hear directly from Miss Hyuga her arguments to become a refugee in Federation's space. Miss Hyuga, let me say this, this is the first time I have met a low worlder and I am impressed with the speed and ease with which you have integrated, I am certain much of what we take for granted have left you in awe but still you remain sane and advancing"

Hinata felt relieved at hearing such praise but Arremius continued "Given your accounts, I would like to ask you. Would everyone in your world integrate and accept the galactic truth as well as you?"

Hinata was taken aback, she had been warned about the questions the Magisters would make, but to represent her entire people in such matter…Now she understood a little the duties of the representatives gathered here.

Hinata thought about the question and replied clearly and slowly "I am afraid I am not qualified to answer accurately that question your excellence. You see, my meeting with Justicar Uzumaki was a once in a lifetime chance, and my decision was based on personal beliefs and a somewhat selfish desire. My people are highly religious and traditionalist, for example I was selected to investigate the crash of the vessels; because I was the purest person and so the gods would not harm me. We live in a close society and have little contact with people from beyond our lands. An according to the Federations records, there are people in other continents I didn't even knew existed. I am a bit ashamed to say this but my world still has a long way to be truly ready to embrace the universe"

Arremius was expecting the young girl to have a desire to bring in the rest of her family and thus her world into the galactic community, so she could have a strong argument in favor of a renewed up lifting era.

"Then Miss Hyuga, you don't regret leaving behind your land, people and family? What kind of person does something like that? Yours is the truth and still you selfishly desire to keep it for yourself and deny a better life to the people of your world"

Hinata did felt guilt over leaving her home world in base of lies and her desire to run away from her inevitable fate as a woman in her family, but knew that it would be best to leave things in her world as they are, since she knew that very few would accept the reality of things. She knew that growth was a slow process and to intervene wasn't always good.

"I do feel sadness over leaving my home and knowing I will never return or see my family again, but from what I have learned, not every up lifted world was ready and many had problems adapting their ways to those of the rest of the galaxy. I, as someone who has seen the truth yet knows her people enough, believe that they will be ready someday but that day is still far away. I also believe that it is within the right of every sentient creature to seek their happiness in whatever manner they can"

Silence filled the room as no one spoke further after Hinata's speech. The military remained stoic and didn't showed any approval or disapproval, the civilians were muttering words among themselves while Arremius read some notes given to her and the Scientifics remained silent and inn movable only their eyes flickered from time to time.

Hinata wondered if perhaps her answer had angered them in some way but their faces were unreadable, like if her fate was of little concern but other matters were more important. One thing she could notice though was the little smirk in Tsunade's face as she stole glances at Arremius.

Finally Arremius sighed and continued "We can see that you are truly committed and your reasons sound honest enough. So we move unto the other issue, why should we accept your request of asylum? By your own words you may not be ready to face the true face of the universe, after you have been among us for a few short days, and still this may prove to be too much for you. In the opinion of many here, we should send you back to your world or throw you in a place where you won´t cause trouble and at the same time be safe"

Before Hinata could answer to that Tsunade roared "Arremius! Just because she didn't gave you the arguments to advance your proposal of up lifting you don't have to punish this girl, she is clearly adapting well and shouldn't have any trouble if allowed to remain!"

Arremius grinned like a beast that just caught her prey and retorted "And how can you be so certain? Weren't your own ancestors once embraced the Uchiha to be part of the Federation despite the worries of many in the galactic community? Didn't they adapt just too well? Didn't they betrayed us and nearly plunged us into and infernal civil war? She might as well adapt too well and in a few centuries her people might attempt to reach power at our expense?"

Tsunade knew she was tricked by the woman; she may be younger than her but was already cunning as if she was two hundred years old. Arremius just turned the situation to place Tsunade in a tight spot where she would have to look for a solution.

"So? What does the armies' magistrate suggest we do with Miss Hyuga? Should we trust her or should we place her in a secured place? We have to consider the repercussions on the long run" said Arremius while smiling content that though it would take time her pro up lifting argument would prevail or just delayed.

Tsunade was about to protest but the wheezing sound of Theron's prosthetics silence the entire audience; it was rare for the Science magistrate to directly intervene in non technological matters.

With a non human voice the Magister raised himself and tilted his covered head in Hinata's direction and then to the other two Magisters.

"I don't believe Miss Hyuga here speaks with lies or hidden intentions, but it is true that we have been deceived in the past so the most pertinent action is to demand a proof of her intentions. If she is truly so adamant in her desires to reach her dreams, so let's give her a trial of sorts"

The other two magisters remained silent expecting what kind of proposal would Theron give; after all he has been a Magistrate since both of them were children.

"I propose she serves the Enterran Federation like any other person who has earned their citizenship status, if she succeeds before our individual insights then most of our doubts and fears would be cleared. She would get to be left in peace and Arremius will have a better understanding of the low world's people"

Both Magisters had to recognize that the idea, though risky did solved their current impasse, though the question remains, what kind of significant service can a 20 year old low worlder give to the federation as to be of any use for the Magisters?

As if reading their minds Theron asked a rather simple question. "Miss Hyuga would you be so kind as to tell us what you know? Any significant skill or knowledge you may have we wish to know as to ascertain what service for the Federation would fit you better.

Hinata was a bit off with the robed man or machine that addressed her but so far was the first to actually offer her some sort of opportunity to earn her place.

"I am a fast learner if it's worth something, I had only 2 days to learn the basics of the federation. I learned every chore a woman of my clan must know, including our ancient martial art, I know of music and have a great eyesight, which is said belongs to the strongest of my people"

While her answers seemed simple enough Theron once again was intrigued "Tell me more about these keen eyes of yours miss"

"Well to put it simple, whenever I want to see something more clearly and I concentrate, it's almost as if the object was being held right in front of me, even if for a moment" said Hinata.

Theron's face was invisible to others but clearly he was smiling "Seems like the beginnings of a Psionic skill" said the Magister which caused several gasps in the attendants and the closer inspection of the other Magisters.

Tsunade wanted to know more about the martial skill so she beckoned the others to be silent "Hinata, what kind of martial art was taught to you?"

Hinata answered quickly "Once our clan's armies were away battling a rival clan, said rival clan sent a small vengeance army to attack the women and children left behind. But great was their surprise when the women from our clan used their dancing moves to fight back the small army long enough for reinforcements to come back. Since then every woman is taught a martial art based on a combination of the one taught to male and those dancing moves taught to our foremothers. Ours is the responsibility to defend the homestead and those living in it"

Arremius didn't want to have an eventual defeat so cunningly added. "Well since she is a fighter, I propose she is assigned to the armed forces to serve like every young citizen aspirant. She clearly knows how to defend herself and an assignment like that shouldn't prove all too difficult"

Tsunade was about to protest but Theron rising his long metallic arm gained the attention once again. "I was thinking along similar lines but my idea may be a bit more extreme but no less important for the future of the Federation. As you all know we have a fragile strategic agreement with the Feranian worlds, and Justicar Uzumaki is the ultimate test of any possible partnership between the Federation and the Feranians. Unfortunately Uzumaki's actions though heroic in many aspects are equally destructive and chaotic, casting a shadow upon any further developments. As we all know as well, Uzumaki works alone and thus is given a lot of free reign, I believe if someone is placed under his command, Uzumaki will improve greatly on his skill and become a worthy Justicar and a valuable asset for future developments with the Feranians"

Tsunade just knew it; Theron would find a way to include the Feranians into all this mess. But had to admit the idea of giving an important responsibility to Naruto would help him mature and improve. She only wished it wasn't at poor Hinata's expense.

Arremius on her side did saw the wisdom and the risks in such an idea. Improved relations with the Feranians were as important as the new era of up lifting, perhaps even more important since it would give the Federation supremacy over all its rivals for centuries and a wealth of never seen technologies. And the Justicar was the key for that future.

The three magisters looked to each other reaching a silent agreement, and so the three standing addressed Hinata.

Tsunade began "After reviewing every piece of information and your testimony"

Arremius proceeded "The three great Magisters have come to the decision that Hinata Hyuga will be allowed to remain in the Federation in exchange for her services in the procurement of Justice across its territory"

Theron concluded "For that reason you will be placed under the command of Justicar Naruto Uzumaki for the duration of your proving. You will be inducted to the arm forces and a complete study program so that you are a competent member of a Justicar's retinue. You will report to him and to the Magisters alone for this is a direct assignment for you Hinata Hyuga"

The three as one "A chance we give. You accept?"

Hinata couldn't believe she was being given an opportunity like this, yes it sounded very dangerous given what everyone thought of Naruto but if she could be by his side making some good she would endure and even if she died at least she had already achieved more than any other Augyan ever could. "I accept!" almost screamed Hinata with sheer determination in her eyes. No trial would be big enough to stir her from reaching her dreams.

"Then this matter is settled until further developments. Miss Hyuga you are to present yourself to the armies Magistrate tomorrow morning for proper induction and the beginning of your conditioning to serve in the armed forces. We are finished!" said Tsunade in commanding tone.

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Hinata was now on a private transport alongside with Tsunade and Shizune as they made their way to Tsunade's residence.

"Hinata, since it's now an executive order and you will be assigned under Naruto, there are certain things about Naruto that you will learn. As you know Naruto is a very important person for the Feranians and the Federation, but as you probably have seen now he is also very dear and important to me. Once you begin your induction and learn, I will tell you more things about Naruto that very few know, then you will see how important and dangerous your assignment will be"

Hinata nodded but wasn't intimidated, she wanted to learn more about everything and about Naruto as well. No test seemed big at this moment.

**AN: And done with third chapter Yay!**

**I bet you like Sakura now! HA HA HA**

**Anyway, big changes await little Hinata and Naruto as well!**

**What will happen in Naruto's medical tests? Is Ino in danger? Will he get a new ship? Can Hinata catch Naruto's eyes or will have to endure Naruto's pervert nature and Sakura's advances?**

**Wait for more on next chapter. Also any questions I will be happy to answer so don't be shy and review!**

**Read, Enjoy and Review.**


	4. Tests, Engines and Induction

**Chapter 4: Tests, Engines and Induction**

Looking at his orders for the medical tests, Naruto walked with a huge grin plastered on his face that unsettled most of the bystanders making way for the apparently crazy Justicar. Naruto haven´t seen Ino Yamanaka since the graduation party of the academy, Ino had been selected to join the medical corps while he and Sakura were taken to be inducted for the Justicar program ran by Admiral Jiraiya.

But what was special about Ino Yamanaka wasn´t just being former class mates but the little "payback" in the showers of the academy he and Sakura staged for her after years of constant bullying from her. Naruto was just reliving those memories as he walked into the medical ward of the Armies Magistrate, which was vacant for the purpose of his tests.

Naruto walked in expecting to give a proper greeting to Ino but to his surprise he found the room in complete darkness, his eyes compensated almost immediately for the lack of light but still no trace from Ino. "Where is Ino chan? Argh!" and Naruto fell unconscious to the ground.

Naruto woke up to a bright light casted in front of him and strapped to a medical table by his wrists and ankles. "What the hell? Who did this? I will kick your ass!"

"Calm down Naruto, I just did that because I am told you are rather reluctant about this tests. Besides, knowing you, you were probably planning to assault me as soon as you crossed that door" spoke in a silky voice Dr. Ino Yamanaka of the medical corps in the Federation Fleet as she stared directly at Naruto's face from above him.

Naruto was a bit impressed, it has been almost 6 years since the last time he saw Ino, and she have grown into a beauty of good measure. Gone was that childish teasing expression of her face, but those enthralling baby blue eyes and long smooth platinum hair remained as her main characteristics. Ino have been offered a place in the Omni-tactical corps but declined it since the level of violence implied scared her deeply, instead she chose a medical career as her specialty and remained in the fleet once she acquired citizenship status.

"Aww common you still resent what me and Sakura did to you during the graduation party? If I recall right, after fifteen minutes you were asking for more. I thought we were all great friends after that night" said a grinning Naruto as he subtly tried to free himself.

Ino frowned a little but instead placed a shot in Naruto's neck which made him scream loudly "Behave Naruto! Or every other shot will be like this! I am here to make your tests and it's the first important assignment given to me since I began instruction in the medical corps! So please, don't ruin it by making it hard"

"Ouch, that hurt but fine, you were always a bully anyway…" said Naruto as Ino freed him from the straps on the table. "By the way where is Dr. Rochelle? he was the one who usually performed these tests"

Ino looked to the ground "He was lost onboard the Marjorie, a passenger freighter near the Soundya systems. He is presumed dead by the hands of raiders"

"What a shame, I actually liked the man, I got used to his strange behavior and how exited he got every time I came for my tests. He was really devoted to his job" said Naruto as he followed Ino for his tests.

Ino looked a bit crest fallen, in Naruto's opinion, she always had a cocky personality since she didn't wanted others to see how frail she really was. Probably that was the reason she didn't joined the Omni-Tactical corps which was a very prestigious intelligence gathering unit to which many members of her species belonged to.

Naruto allowed Ino to take him to the testing machines prepared for him. The tests were made on several levels.

Biological, since no one had ever studied a developing Feranian body before.

Physical, since Feranians had strength and speed very few species could match.

Health, since Feranians seemed to enjoy a near perfect health throughout most of their unnatural long lives.

Psionic, since Feranians had an incredibly powerful battle aura that powered their fabled weapons and further increased their natural skills.

And lastly psychological, since some believe that the inner violent behavior in the Feranians could be understood and healed or at least controlled.

As the tests progressed, Ino now saw why the tests needed to be taken with utmost care and dedication. Dr. Rochelle's notes had given her an idea of what to expect but seeing is believing, Naruto in his academy days was already very impressive by most standards when physical exercises came to be, but those skills were always matched by members of highly physical developed species like the Hercians. But the main differences weren't on the apparent traits but deeper down.

Naruto's body had a high resistance to any form of infections, high healing rate, his skin was almost like an armor since it was hard to cut unless a very sharp object made contact. His bone structure was slightly different from most humanoid species; it not only projected near unbreakable bones but a lightly less number of them, making his skeleton more "efficient" from a military perspective.

His internal organs were vastly redundant, which meant that several organs shared tasks instead of specific organs doing the job. This made his health and resilience near perfect, not to mention it guaranteed an incredibly long life. In her opinion Naruto if in normal conditions, was meant to outlive entire generations of people born within the Federation.

Then the genetic tests came and Ino was now more intrigued by the Feranian physiology, most DNA chains show junk links which could be corrected with long gene therapies, but Feranian DNA had no such junk links, it was filled with useful information and according to record, Naruto never underwent such treatments and was born by natural methods onboard the Battle fleet.

Ino's first thought was that it was impossible for any humanoid species, no matter how ancient, to be so perfect in so many aspects. Feranians were shrouded in mystery from the rest of the galactic community and only rumors and legends made it to the people. That explained the discrimination against them from the militia and those resented by the destruction of the first contact mission.

But Ino in first conclusion, determined that Feranians, at some point of their history modified themselves for a purpose and given the information on them relied by the military, that purpose was war. She could only try to imagine what kind of battlefield would require so many modifications and the enemies they once faced.

The Psionic test was a pain for Naruto since it usually came when in combat, almost naturally, but in a controlled environment it was near impossible. His battle aura was barely visible and didn't emitted much Psionic waves but reports indicate that his battle aura once deflected a shell shot by a rail gun on a pirate vessel.

Ino continued for several hours testing Naruto's strength, reflexes and endurance, breaking galactic records that would never be made public since all the info was to be relied to the high command and to the Feranian battle fleets.

The last test was psychological, which Ino suspected was the reason she was assigned for this task. As an Orfinian she is highly empathic and have natural telepathic skills, which make them excellent intelligence operatives, trusted advisors and highly paid shrinks!

Ino was aware that Dr. Rochelle had suspected an inner persona inside Naruto, some sort of split personality disorder but very well hidden. No matter what test he applied, he never managed to corroborate his hypothesis but according to his notes, said persona influenced Naruto's behavior by making him rash, aggressive, dominant and highly responsive to violence, further enhancing his senses and strangely giving him an almost natural ability for a fight, either with weapons or on hand to hand.

Ino tried to find what kind of test produced those assumptions but the notes regarding it had been erased by the high command. She dismissed it and concluded that it was probably noted during his induction to the Justicar corps.

Ino beckoned the sweating Naruto to rest on the table and told him to lay still, which Naruto obliged seemingly frustrated. Ino reached Naruto and placed her hands on top of Naruto's forehead sending a smoothing psychic wave which relaxed Naruto almost placing him to sleep. Ino laughed a little seeing how Naruto drooled a little and seemed so peaceful, it was hard to believe it was the same man who destroyed the Minos research facility in a huge fireball when he was persecuting a slaver's ring leader.

Ino placed her forehead against Naruto's and focused trying to pry the presence of that inner persona. She delved deep trying to find any trace of such existence but so far only vague memories surfaced here and there. Remembering the notes she went for the most violent memories and went deep into them.

Ino could feel the same things Naruto felt in such situations, and to her surprise it wasn't rage, fury, anger and all the negative emotions associated. She felt exhilaration, excitement, expectance and what could only be described as pure joy, now she understood why the Feranians were prone to violence, at some instinctive level they thrived in it.

As Ino went from different violent memories, which were quite many, she noticed something in common that went unnoticed at first glance. A low rumbling noise in the back of her mind, barely perceptible, but it was there almost like a growl far in the distance, a storm you could hear but not see.

Ino broke the mental bond and was feeling excited she just confirmed the presence of an inner persona within Naruto and perhaps inside every Feranian in the fleets. She just made a giant breakthrough but it would remain classified for a long time which brought her excitement down several notches.

It would take more sessions and perhaps a deep mind probing to confirm it, but that was a dangerous procedure that could damage him permanently and with his unique Feranian constitution it was a bad idea to gamble with his mind.

Ino was deep in thought as she was scribbling her findings on a data slate, when Naruto opened his eyes feeling a bit dizzy but seeing Ino's fine body within his grasp grabbed her left wrist and dragged her to lie on top of him.

Ino was blushing and panting heavily, and between pants she muttered a low "Bastard!"

You see Orfinians high empathic skills leave the young and careless of their species open to the intense emotions of others who make direct contact with them so if someone sad touches them while undefended, they become sad and if someone horny touches them…

Naruto shut her up by kissing her deeply and ravishing her mouth with his tongue, when parted, smiling he said "So are we done with the testing? I would like to recreate that wonderful graduation night!"

Ino was starting to remove her medical clothing while returning Naruto's kisses with her own and replied "You bastard! You and Sakura basically raped me back then…your tests are finished so we have an hour before my next appointment, so you better live up to that night or I will file a complaint against you!"

Naruto was pleased to see the same trick working twice, back then Sakura had learned of this unique characteristic and taking their chances, decided to test it out to get back at her for years of teasing and bullying. So when she was tipsy from the alcohol placed in the punch at the party, Naruto and Sakura secretly dragged her to the girl's showers and there they flooded her with the most intense desire which drove her into a nymphomaniac that night.

Both teens back then realized their mistake and apologized since they had gone too far but Ino told them she deserved it since she had been a bitch with both of them for years, besides she never said she didn't enjoyed it!

As both started to undress the door to the medical ward opened and a loud voice declared "Hey Ino! I heard Naruto was around so I came early for my medical check…" Sakura was startled to find Naruto with an almost naked Ino on top of him. She didn't comment further as a large grin crept in her face and with a slam of her powerful fist closed shut the gate.

Seems like history does repeat itself.

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Hinata had spent the night at Magister Tsunade's residence which was actually a palace by its sheer size. Shizune had explained the admiral Tsunade was the last from a long line of great Admiral's that had served the Enterran Federation for over a thousand years since her species, the Treelian, joined. Basically Tsunade's family was some sort of royalty within the Federation.

One of the things she had noted was that the residence was mostly desolated; only a few attendants cared for the needs of a residence that once housed a seemingly huge family. Shizune explained that while long lived, Tsunade's species had a poor birthrate and military service had claimed much of her family during centuries of exemplary service.

Hinata wanted to know more and if that had anything to do with Tsunade's closeness to Naruto but those were family matters better left for privacy and them to share.

Shizune explained that the next day her induction process will begin, and since she would be serving under Naruto's orders, her induction would be an accelerated one and closely monitored by the Magisters since her species was new and specialized studies would be carried at the same time. Shizune also warned her that medics would make a full gene scan in order to apply the mandatory gene therapy that every member of the Enterran Fleets had to undergo before active service. Hinata asked what that was meant to do for her to which Shizune answered that it would slowly change her from within to improve in every aspect, her body would undergo minor changes and perhaps a unique Psionic skill would be unleashed in the process.

Shizune explained her that Psionic skills were discovered when Humanity applied the first gene therapies to their explorers in order to compensate for bone loss and other space travelling health related issues. Most humans developed slight telekinetic abilities, while members of other species developed their own. Basically they forced their next evolutionary step a few millennia sooner.

Hinata then remembered the words of Magister Theron regarding her eyes, were they so special?

The next day after her arrival to Tsunade's residence, Hinata had to admit that it was the best night of sleep she ever had, certainly technology also applied to rest as well.

Shizune came to her bringing some clothes Tsunade had lent from her old wardrobe since Hinata didn't had any other clothes that could fit her properly. Shizune also explained that they would need to make a shopping trip to get her female products that most women enjoyed and clearly Hinata didn't knew about.

On the meantime Hinata was escorted to the medical ward of the Technology Magistrate where Magister Theron had ordered Hinata to be administered a new and faster gene therapy process. The usual process took 5 years to complete in average but this new machine produced with confidential technologies, would complete the process within a month.

Hinata was placed in huge machinery with special clothes that was like a second skin to her and made her feel terribly embarrassed since it showed her body in a way she never had. The machine sent a wave of light and immediately in front of her a twin helix hologram depicted her DNA. To everyone's surprise the technicians reported that her DNA was very pure, it showed very little junk chains and most of the information in the rest of her DNA was useful. Shizune explained to a very confused Hinata that apparently her species was physically more evolved than other Low World samples. The technicians asked her if her people had traditions involving marriages and child bearing to which Hinata explained that indeed they were very selective on such issues and that even the poorest families had the right to carefully choose those entering their family.

Shizune explained that maybe their selectiveness was the origin of such pure DNA, selective breeding often produced similar results to gene therapy, but it took generations to achieve results.

The technicians then proceeded to inject several substances into Hinata's body and radiate her with strange warm lights. Shizune calmed her down by telling her that she went through a similar process several years ago and that everything was fine.

Finally the technicians allowed her to step down from the machine and told her that during the next month she would require to eat much more than she is used to, since her body would consume energy to apply the changes her body would undergo.

Then she was taken to another infernal looking machine which depicted a helmet strapped to a chair. Shizune explained that it was a teaching machine, it was mainly used to help amnesia patients to help them reintegrate into society by implanting knowledge into their heads.

Hinata was once more strapped by the strange technicians and the helmet lowered upon her head. After a few moments of silence a bright light came to her eyes and though she tried to close them it still shone like the Sun. She could feel how new knowledge was filling her mind, how many of her questions were being given answers, how vast and large was the universe. It was exhilarating to be learning all that through a mechanic device. Also by request of the three Magisters a complete compendium of laws was hammered into her, if Naruto couldn't remember the law at least someone could remind him!

After several hours of knowledge input Hinata was freed from the contraption. Hinata was dazed and slowly recovering as several technicians made non invasive scans of her body and brain to see if there was no adverse response to the treatment. Hinata felt all the knowledge swirling in her head but strangely and little by little she was putting order into her brain, so many of the things she had seen so far now made complete sense and actually could discern their purpose.

By the first time in days she didn't felt so out of place and knew that though it was a bit wild, she had taken the first real steps into the galactic community.

Shizune told her that tests and induction were over for the day and that the rest of the day they were free to relax and go on that shopping trip she had mentioned before and seemed so excited about.

On their way to the city Hinata had asked where was Naruto since she hadn't seen him since yesterday when he left for his medical checkup, to which Shizune replied that maybe he just wondered off somewhere after his tests. Hinata suspected something else since Shizune's response seemed a bit nervous and she didn't miss the slight red tinge on her face, she will be certain to question Naruto and his now well understood behavior later. For now new clothes was her top priority, especially underwear, since she can't' keep using the old stuff from her home.

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Naruto had spent the night at the medical ward with Ino and Sakura, certainly reliving past memories was a good habit, nonetheless it took its toll since he was now very cramped and was limping. "Damn Sakura! she likes to try things not even a Feranian can or should do! Though it was pretty fun, he he he…"

Naruto exited the medical ward almost like a burglar would leave the scene of a crime and decided to head over to the test fields of the Technological Magistrate, where he expected to find his former class mate Ten-Ten and ask her for a new vessel at a reasonable price.

Naruto had changed into a bright orange jumpsuit given by the technicians, he just loved the damn thing it made him feel invincible for some reason. Tsunade always told him he looked childish in it though she took a picture of him as a kid when he was first introduced to the technicians.

Ten-Ten became a good friend of Naruto back in the academy and already showed a lot of interest in technology and weapons, making her a good prospect for the Tech Corps. Her Psionic skill also helps her lot on that aspect since her powers were magnetic kind.

Naruto made his way through the blasted test fields of the most promising prospects within the Magistrate. Magister Theron gave them these fields with the intent of letting them experiment on whatever they wanted and see how resourceful they could be. In Naruto's mind, the machines and people roaming around here were more dangerous than most criminals he had brought to justice.

Naruto finally got to the most scarred test field of all, strangely no sound came out of her workshop, which probably meant she was out or sleeping while working. Naruto approached the workstation only to hear a loud wheezing sound and suddenly a large metal robot like creature leapt from one of the largest heaps of discarded works.

The metal monster tried to crush Naruto who in turn evaded it easily and almost instinctively delivered a powerful kick to the most vulnerable looking joint of the metal beast making it tumble and drop to its side. Naruto rubbed his sore leg, the kick managed to bend the joints and render motionless the crude metal beast.

Naruto jumped back at stance as the beast started to make noises as if breaking apart from the inside. Curious Naruto stepped closer as to discern what was going on with the beast and where was Ten-Ten. From the insides of the monster sprouted a scantily dressed girl who was covered from head to toe in oil and other lubricants from the metal beast. At this Naruto screamed in terror since the picture reminded him of that awful ancient movie Sakura forced him to watch when back in the academy.

"Phew! That was a close one! Stupid machine revolting against her own creator! Though the response lapse was good and the movement fluid…Right! Whoever took down my creation please come out!" loudly spoke Ten-Ten who was cleaning herself from all the oil and other filth covering her slim frame.

Naruto breathed out and in, trying to regain his composure and don't look freaked out in front of his friend. "Hey Ten chan, long time no see!" said a now relaxed Naruto as he approached the young technician.

Ten-Ten blinked twice recognizing the blonde man in front of her and squealing ran at him and jumped into his arms smearing him with all the fluids from the felled beast. "Naruto! So good to see you! You brought me something? Perhaps some cool Feranian technology?" screamed the expectant Ten-Ten.

"Sorry, not this time, I left my gauntlet back at my vessel on the Phalanx station and mother hasn't sent me anything new. But what the hell was that monster? And why were you inside?" said Naruto while scratching the back of his head.

"Oh! That was my latest creation! Robo-crusher mark 3! A new close quarter's combat droid for the military" and looking back at the piece of junk "Or was supposed to be…got so focused that by the moment I finished and turned it up I realized I had built it around me! Ha ha ha!" As impossible as it seemed Ten-Ten was a genius of great wit albeit a bit crazy, but then again every member of the Tech Corps had a bit of that inside of them in order to make up for the new technologies the Federation developed and the Technology Magistrate approved.

Ten-Ten became friends with Naruto early at the academy when both were signed in, Like Naruto, Ten-Ten had many adaptation problems given her obsession over machines and technology and since both were outcasts they soon became friends alongside Sakura and other similar students. Ten-Ten main particularity was that though she was very into machines and such, she never allowed her body and health to decay like most tech cultists in their almost fanatical addiction, and Naruto was very grateful for that.

"Actually I am on Terra for my yearly check up, a somewhat troublesome cargo I picked up some time ago and because my vessel is as good as scrap and I wanted to see if you had anything you could spare while I get myself a decent machine" said a smiling Naruto as he appraised the slim technician.

Ten-Ten frowned and accusingly said to Naruto "How dare you speak like that of Shadow Clone! It was your very first vessel and I helped you pick it and arm it for your adventures! Be more respectful of your faithful companion, it has served you well! As for a spare ship, I don't make spares of anything; all of my creations are wonderful master pieces that will shatter the previous conceptions of technology!"

Naruto turned his gaze at the Robo-Crusher and wanted to differ but if he wanted a new ship he would have to do some bootlicking. "You are right! I am ashamed, Shadow Clone has served me well but there is as much as any ship can take, especially under my command! And certainly that prototype will someday be awesome machinery!"

Ten-Ten looked back at his now smashed creation and smiled embarrassingly at Naruto's kindness, truth be told her obsession with machines always ended with similar results. Magister Theron himself had advised her several times to take her own time when building her creations, patience brings great rewards, but she always rush things and end in similar results. Still the Magister haven't lost faith in her skill and in no small part thanks to Naruto, given her the trust to continue working on the privileged testing grounds.

Ten-Ten quickly recovered from her embarrassment and told Naruto to wait outside for her since she needed to clean up and get changed. She also activated the workshop automated defenses to stop Naruto from peeking, making him groan in frustration.

After half an hour, Ten-Ten came out from her workshop, now properly dressed in the custom clothes from the Technology Magistrate. A tight but elegant white jumpsuit with green stripes running down at her sides, Naruto admitted he loved how the uniform looked on her, but from all the girls he has met, she was one of the few who resisted his advances, and he was certain she wasn't like Sakura.

Ten-Ten beckoned Naruto to follow her to the hangar behind her workshop. In the middle of the hangar the skeleton of a ship was laid in front of him, but that wasn't what surprised him more, it was the figure of the vessel. It resembled one of the Feranian gunships a Thunderhawk (I know from Warhammer 40K, so don't mention it!).

"Is that a…?" started to say Naruto as he walked closer to the structure.

"Yes! Remember the small Feranian toy and pictures you gave me back in the academy? Well I thought, if Feranians are not going to share their technology willingly, the second best would be to reproduce it as best as I could! So based on your descriptions of their power, resilience and maneuverability, I began the construction of one of them. I have had several problems though" said Ten-Ten as she too also moved around the frame.

Getting serious for once Naruto wondered aloud "What kind of problems? The structure seems right though bit larger than the original"

Ten-Ten replied "Well for starters, analyzing your gauntlet and small pieces of metal you have given me in the past, I am still unable to reproduce the same alloy so I resorted to other materials and new alloys of my own creation. In the end I decided for a larger structure since the new materials are heavier than the original but at least it should be as sturdy, especially with the carbon diamond coating I placed"

Naruto nodded "If it's heavier and larger you would need a more powerful engine to lift it and keep its fighting capability unharmed"

Ten-Ten replied "The engine I came up with is not even a slight trace of the Feranian ones, but it is powerful as well, only problem is the power regulation. It will take time to get used to the shifts and quirks of it. The size is also to accommodate a Hyperspace core"

Naruto kept walking through "Weapons and accommodations?"

Ten-Ten replied quickly getting more excited "Well unlike the originals, this vessel is made not for war but for patrolling and support. So interiors are not designed to be as Spartan as the Feranian models. Weaponry is not energy based but projectile based. Federation standard issue ones, as well as high impact missiles and a medium size rail cannon on top of it"

Naruto smiled content, if Ten-Ten pulled this one off, he would get a terrific new craft and Ten-Ten would get the recognition of her peers. "So, how long until finished?"

Ten-Ten stuttered and shyly replied "One year… The production takes more time than I want, and I don't have access to the main forges"

Naruto sighed a bit disappointed, rarely something went entirely his way "It was nice while it lasted (sigh) Do you have any other vessel you could lend me then? I just need to be able to move around for a while, in a few months I will get something better"

Ten-Ten casted her eyes to the ground, ashamed she couldn't help one of her very few friends. "But I could finish within a month if you talk to Magister Theron and give me access to the main forges. He always listens to you! If you do that I could finish this wonderful vessel for you and…"

Naruto placed his hands on hers "Relax, I will try but I can't promise anything. And don't look so depressed, you never have let me down, like Theron says, have patience. On the meantime, try to do what you can and be careful. I will let you know if I get something from Theron within the next days. I'll be around in Terra for a while taking care of some business before leaving"

At this Ten-Ten looked like she was about to cry but Naruto gave her a friendly kiss to her cheek and waved good bye. Ten-Ten on her side began to complete whatever parts of the ship she could. She would be patient and wait for whatever has to come her way.

As Naruto returned to the main building of the Technology Magistrate, Magister Theron caught up with him and walked by his side. "So what do you think of her latest creation?"

Naruto frowned a little "I think you should give her a try at the Forges, she may surprise you" said Naruto sternly

"And why should I? I am under certain amount of pressure to have her removed from the grounds and place her on the fleet or the merchant fleets" responded Theron in his unemotional voice

Naruto sighed "What do I need to do?"

"You are getting better in politics I see. I will grant her unrestricted access to the Forges and in exchange you will owe me, and when I find something worth I need you for, you will do it. Do we have an agreement?" responded Theron.

Naruto frowned "Fine, but remember, whatever you ask me can't harm Feranian – Federation relations. And I won't do anything that may harm my people"

Theron made a chuckle like noise and responded "Of course, I have been a Magister longer than you or your mother have been alive young Naruto, I know my boundaries so don't worry. As for your people, I wonder who they may be."

Naruto turned his blazing eyes at the machine man and growling responded "You know damn well who is my people and to whom my ultimate loyalty is to!" and stomping he walked away.

Theron kept his gaze on Naruto as he walked away and without a word turned around and also departed.

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Shizune and Hinata were on their way back to Tsunade's residence after a very stimulating day at the city where Hinata bought all the clothes and accessories she would need from now on, particularly as a woman.

Hinata had also started to experiment the first symptoms of her gene therapy as she noticed how ungracefully she had devoured the amazing food Shizune bought for them at lunch. She had been advised to increase the amount of food she normally ate to compensate for the consumed energy her body required in order to keep changing without endangering her life. Shizune explained her that she would get many cravings but it would be ok, since the body would consume it entirely and she wouldn't get fat, basically every girls dream!

Hinata also noticed that the knowledge given by the learning machine started to fall in place as she interacted with the world, in a way she felt more comfortable with everything and everyone. She also noticed that for some reason she could identify every infraction and its penalty.

But what she understood better than most things was how the female – male interactions worked in this society and that dawned on her what Sakura did, which was also a small crime, and Naruto's behavior.

Hinata had tried to question Shizune about this and how it was possible she and Tsunade allowed him to behave like that, but every time she wanted to bring the subject Shizune found a thing with which to distract her.

"Shizune! Every time I ask you about Naruto's behavior you evade the issue! With my new knowledge I can see what Naruto does and I think it is wrong. How can you or lady Tsunade not do anything about it! I don't think it´s healthy to let him do those things" said Hinata sternly as she finally had Shizune cornered inside the transport on their way home.

Sighing Shizune decided to enlighten Hinata about some of the things she had to learn about Naruto "First than anything, me nor lady Tsunade never encouraged that behavior in Naruto. One of the things you have to understand is that Naruto is a Feranian, not a human or any of the species in the Federation. Feranians have really long and healthy lives, from what I am told even with your new genes your life span won't cover even half of Naruto's"

Hinata then realized that indeed gene therapy would increase the number of years she would live, even by centuries. According to Shizune she was expected to live for five hundred years, but Feranians life expectancy was above a thousand.

"Then it's a cultural thing?" asked Hinata more quietly.

Shizune replied "Something like that, Feranians are highly instinctive creatures, they live more by impulse than by determined society rules, though they do have them and enforce them harshly. Naruto's behavior doesn't really harm others beyond being shameless and offensive. The other reason is that Feranians need to vent constantly, if a Feranian is restricted and constantly chastised, then it will get very aggressive and when that happens they become dangerous. Naruto's constant flirting is just a stage in his development as a Feranian, eventually as centuries pass, he will find different ways to vent and control himself"

Hinata did forget for a second how vast the universe was. Naruto had seemed so normal and like every other person she has come to know, but under the clothes lay many different species and cultures. For Naruto that behavior was perfectly normal and so far most people seemed to be accepting.

Shizune continued "Besides we did give him rules to allow him such behavior. If he ever decides to get serious with a girl he will have to be loyal only to her. Flirting is ok as long as he doesn't try to force the girl into anything she has doubts about. His mother also sent us a number of rules for him as well and like Tsunade pointed out, we have permission to enforce them"

"You mean the punch she gave him?" asked Hinata a bit more amused.

"Exactly, if he is ever disrespectful to a woman, said woman has every right to punch the living lights out of him. Naruto is very resilient so a punch like that is more like a slap to the wrist" said a now relaxed Shizune.

"Naruto is a very kind and loyal person, he never does anything to hurt someone and if he does he finds a way to make it up for them. He is wild yes, but not bad, you will like him" also said Shizune.

Hinata did believe that and had to accept that part of Naruto since he would be her superior officer for a long time it seemed. But now was curious about the people in Naruto's life, clearly Shizune and Tsunade where close to him and so is the infamous Sakura.

"Shizune, how are the people in Naruto's life?" asked Hinata

"Well, on my side. Like with you, I was there when he first arrived to the Enterran Federation and he was only 12 years old and was scheduled to begin instruction at the academy. I was fresh out of my officer's training and was assigned to Admiral Tsunade's staff, to take care of Naruto in his first days was my first official task as Tsunade's assistant. I was a nervous since I never dealt with children before but in time I grew close to him as he used cling on to me in those first days. He will claim he wasn't scared or lonely but he was and I was there for him during those first days. After some time he made friends and went normally to the academy, still he comes to me like a big sister for some advice or anything" said Shizune

"What about admiral Tsunade what's her relationship with Naruto?" asked Hinata more interested

"That is a personal matter for her Hinata, I have no right to share it without her knowledge, besides I am certain she will tell you herself in time" answered Shizune.

Hinata then remembered that Sakura, Naruto mentioned before "Who is Sakura chan? Naruto seems to be fond of her"

Shizune sighed a bit frustrated "Sakura is Hercian girl, a great Justicar by all accounts and perhaps the worst influence Naruto ever had in his short life. Almost like Feranians, Hercians are strong warriors from a high gravity world, most of their people are trained as elite shock troopers but she was different, a strong Psionic user, Psionic traits are extremely rare among her people, since they rely on their unmatched physical strength. So she was sent to the academy in the hopes of making her something more than a soldier, perhaps an officer. But because of her rarity she was also casted apart from other children as she grew up and developed trust and self esteem issues. She was in a similar ground to Naruto so it wasn't long before those two became friends by affinity. Many children in the academy were cruel to them for their origins and looks. Naruto was a feared and somewhat hated Feranian while Sakura was a shy, strange and tall for a girl her age, not to mention most people think Hercians are violent brutes who's only worth is in the armies front lines"

Hinata seemed a bit embarrassed that she felt jealous over a girl who suffered as much as Naruto and only had each other for support.

Shizune saw this and continued "But those days ended rather quickly, Naruto quickly found his courage and his Feranian strength and soon every child who dared to cross him found himself in a world of pain. This in turn encouraged Sakura to be more open and soon afterwards was Naruto's partner in crime, not to mention that being a Hercian she already possessed a terrifying strength of her own which further increased her confidence. They loved to make all sorts of crazy pranks around the school and with Naruto's cunning and Sakura's brilliant mind, always came through fine. Tsunade took to herself to always render some punishment to both kids but never got any actual evidence of their doings. After a few years passed Naruto had grown as tall as Sakura and was starting to get interested in girls as for Sakura she also started to develop her interests…"

Shizune wondered why Shizune stopped talking as if in doubt of what to say next.

Shizune cleared her throat and continued "Sakura tried to date boys at first but many of them were shorter and weaker than her, thus were very intimidated. The only boy not intimidated by her was Naruto, but he only saw her as an equal, he actually even forgot she was a girl for a time! So Sakura saw that she had many female admirers at school and so tried her hand on them. The rest is history I guess"

Hinata still not very familiar with the concept pressed on "You say she actually likes girls like any other woman likes men? But is it normal, is it something of her culture?"

Shizune now looked a bit troubled "Well, it is actually a shared cultural thing among several humanoid species. In most populations men and women attract each other normally, but from time to time individuals who like people of their same sex appear. At first they were ridiculed or persecuted even, but now, is a generally accepted thing and is not frowned upon. And in Sakura's case, well she is a very dominant figure and with time became quite feminine herself so many girls even those not attracted to the same sex feel somewhat interested or curious about it when in her presence. As a matter of fact she tried her luck with me once"

Hinata smiled a bit at that but remembering her encounter with the tall girl wondered if that was Sakura "Shizune, do you have a picture of Sakura?"

Shizune nodded smiling and brought up her private slate (Like an Ipad) and browsed through several pages before finding the desired picture and showed it to Hinata. "The one to Naruto's left is Sakura"

Hinata took the slate and to her dismay it was who she feared though on the picture she seemed more boyish and with shoulder long hair and by her side a younger looking Naruto with shorter spiky hair. Both smiling and saluting at their graduation ceremony. Shizune explained that after the graduation they were handpicked by Admiral Jiraiya to be trained into Justicars of the Federation.

Hinata then remembered something Shizune said earlier "You said she was the worst influence for Naruto but from their history it seems like Naruto was the leader of their duo"

Shizune now frowned "She IS his worst influence! Naruto was indeed interested in girls but had no luck with any of them. Sakura was the one who taught him how to seduce them! Even if said women were in relationships or in different sides of the law! Naruto learned all too well and became something of a horny monster because of her! And she says she is proud of him and that they even share conquests!"

Hinata was a bit confused by the last statement "Wasn't she only interested in girls? Why share them with Naruto?"

Now Shizune blushed intensely, not even she was comfortable with the images such question brought. "Sakura likes girls AND Naruto; she once claimed that Naruto was the only man worthy enough of having her. So for her a complete conquest is when she shares it with Naruto. You see, they are more than friends, colleagues, brother and sister, even lovers, but both agree that they have many years ahead of them so they never had formalized anything not to mention that their duties keep them apart most of the time"

Hinata was a bit surprised, she was still somewhat innocent from her education in Augya so to hear that Naruto already had established several relationships and actually had a regular lover shocked her. She was perhaps another of the many girls that had crossed his path. This thought brought many doubts about her standing with him and whatever future she could have by his side.

Shizune noticed that look in Hinata and quickly interceded "But don't lose faith in him, despite his flaws, he is still a very generous person and he cares a lot about those who come into his life. By fate he was brought to you and by fate you get to travel and bring justice by his side perhaps you are the positive influence that will turn him into a great man and even the leader the Feranians need in the future!"

Hinata smiled at Shizune´s attempt to encourage her but still her image of Naruto was shattered and she would have to figure him out all over again, perhaps Shizune was right. Besides if Naruto had this many people worrying and caring for him, there must be something good in him.

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As Shizune and Hinata finally arrived to the residence they noticed Naruto was getting off from a cab and walking towards one of the side entrances of the palatial residence.

Shizune and Hinata walked fast to get to him. The moment they greet him he jumped like a burglar caught in the act.

"Shizune! Hinata! What a surprise! How are you doing?" said Naruto obviously nervous.

Shizune frowned a little while Hinata's frown was much more pronounced, which in turn made Naruto flinch a little.

Shizune was the first to ask "How was your check up? You never came back home yesterday. Did you caught up with some old acquaintance" Obviously Shizune already figured out what had happened but wanted to give Naruto an escape route.

"Yes! That was it! I met some old friends from the academy and we went out to party and suddenly it was day again!" said Naruto scratching the back of his head.

Hinata's eyes always managed to get any lie in someone's behavior and conversation so she noticed that a lot of information was missing. "And where were you all day today?"

Naruto was more relaxed, because he didn't do anything improper, and answered "I was trying to get a new vessel, since my last is a few trips from falling apart. But that's not important! Did the Magisters allowed you to stay? Will they let you fulfill your dreams?

Hinata's bad temper banished in a second as she looked the hopeful eyes of Naruto, he was genuinely concerned about her dreams. There was no way she could stay angry with someone like that. Then again it brought a new problem, if he didn't knew then he wasn't aware that she was about to become his first official aide in his quest for galactic justice.

Shizune stepped ahead and answered for Hinata "Naruto, the magisters did allowed Hinata to remain but given her special standing and possible future repercussions, she was asked to serve the federation as a law enforcement agent. Today was the first day of her induction and tomorrow her training will begin so she can be ready by the end of the month to join a Justicar's retinue"

Naruto beamed with joy and lifted Hinata high into the air to end up catching her in a hug "You hear that Hinata? They will let you stay and you will get to see the galaxy for free with a Justicar! You will find many adventures and get the bad guys! Aren't you happy? You made it!"

Hinata was blushing madly and felt dizzy as she enjoyed the tight embrace of Naruto as well as the joy he almost radiated for her; no one had ever been so happy and proud for her.

"So who's the Justicar do I know him or her? Asked Naruto excitedly.

Shizune smiled a bit wickedly "Yup, the Justicar to whom Hinata has been assigned is Naruto Uzumaki!"

Naruto opened his arms dropping Hinata in a painful manner to the ground as he shouted aloud "WHAT?"

**AN: And done!**

**Ok a bit lame and slow but Hinata's training will intensify, she will meet other members from the cast and the entire next month will fly by.**

**People will get annoyed at how I portrayed Naruto and Sakura's relationship but I have seen it before in the real life so it is perfectly valid, besides I told you the real relationship between Naruto and Hinata will not sprout out of nothing or just "Oh my god I love you! Let's make babies" real relationships start on rocky grounds many times so bear with me.**

**Any questions I will be glad to answer, as for now I will begin the new chapter from my main project.**

**Read, Enjoy and Review!**


	5. Getting to Know You

**Chapter 5: Getting to know you**

Hinata found herself panting heavily as her body sweated in a way she never thought it could. Her generous bust heaved up and down as she kept moving. Her eyes were wide open and her mouth slightly opened as her hair kept falling in front of her face blocking her sight.

"This…this…this is too much!" screamed poor Hinata as she kept running through the obstacle course that was part of her induction program. At all sides explosions mimicking the galactic warfare conditions made her feel like she just entered hell itself. Her enhanced genetics have started to make the necessary changes in her body as to give her some edge in endurance and strength but since she never had any actual military training this exercise was proving to be unbearable.

To make things worse she was also given the most terrifying instructor available in the federation, Anko Mitarashi, a veteran of several covert missions and currently the most feared instructor of the Enterran elite corps. Admiral Tsunade have seen to have Hinata's training be the best available and so Anko was the top choice to supervise her combat training.

Hinata just kept running and jumping as the entire grounds around her seemed to be victims of unending devastation. Off in the distance though, she could hear something far worse than any explosion, the maniacal laughter of her new instructor as she kept firing salvos and activating the course traps and explosions.

Just a few more meters and she would finish her last lap on the hellish field. At that moment Anko screamed at her "Heads up princess! Incoming!" At this Hinata knew something bad was coming her way but with the ending line so close she couldn't turn back and be distracted. As she was debating on what to do and fearing whatever was coming her way, her desperation forced her to close her eyes due to an intense pain that afflicted her face especially the area around the eyes. She wanted to scream and hold her face but the sense of warning of whatever was coming her way kept her running towards the finishing line. As she kept running she managed to open her eyes and to her surprise the world was no longer filled with color and texture. This new world in front of her was grey and full of shadows, strangely though no shadow was dark enough as to keep anything hidden from her as everything was displayed before her to see. She saw first the finishing line and for an instant she saw how the line came and went in front of her as if she was playing with a telescope. As she was panicking over this new sight, she remembered the nasty surprise her instructor sent her way. As if by desire, somehow her eyesight rotated 180 degrees allowing her to see the three low pulse shells Anko had fired. Those things were particularly nasty since they emitted a low frequency sound that provoked brief but painful convulsions on the receiver, basically a grenade or artillery shell.

Not having enough time to think about her new skill Hinata had somehow managed to keep her direction while keeping her sight on the incoming barrage. Hinata managed to make a quick jump to her left to avoid the first shell, amazingly her sight shifted at an impossible speed to allow her to see her landing place and keep running without much effort or disorientation. She evaded the second one in a similar fashion but the third one was nearer than she thought at first and evading was going to prove almost impossible. At that moment when the shell was practically on top of her, she felt compelled to tap the shell with her bare hand to hit it safely from one side and change its direction. Her hand must have moved like a lightning since in the blink of an eye the shell had crashed at a safe distance to her left and unknowingly she had finished the course.

Slowly as her breathing returned to normal levels, the pain in her face ceased and the world recovered its color and brightness. She breathed in and out deeply as she noticed how every other recruit and instructor on the fields looked at her with wide eyes and gaping mouths.

Hinata was a bit embarrassed at the sudden attention and found herself fidgeting with her fingers as she waited for someone to speak up. Slowly but certainly people just dismissed their previous curiosity and kept going with their own trainings.

As she relaxed after the hellish exercise the loud voice of her instructor made her straight and fearing whatever she had in store next.

"Wow princess! That was one of the strangest but coolest moves I have seen in my life! How did you do that? Your medic report never mentioned any Psionic skill. Are you using any accessories or augmentations? You know I don't like cheaters" said Anko Mitarashi as she closed the distance with her combat pupil.

Anko stood in front of Hinata a few inches shorter but still an incredibly attractive woman, in Hinata's opinion she was very shameless and flirty, especially around the younger male cadets whom she loved to tease.

Hinata stood straight before her superior officer and replied "I don't know ma'am! I suddenly were able to see the incoming shells though I wasn't looking at them, as for deflecting the last one, I did it on impulse, I didn't planned it"

Anko stood in a thinking position as she eyed her recruit. Hinata had begun combat trainings with her just a week before and already her body started to show the usually slow transforming process of gene therapy. Hinata was almost twenty cm taller than the first day, her muscles had become longer and harder yet not bulgy, her endurance also improved by leaps and bounds since she couldn't even finish the first course, and last but no less important her bust expanded once more making Hinata's new clothes strain against her new "blessings". Anko had asked about her gene therapy process and why was she reacting in such an accelerated rate but all she got was a confidential screen and an apology letter from the top branch. She also had found strange that Hinata was her only recruit for the special training program designed to test Justicar prospects, usually she got the top cadets of last year or distinguished fresh soldiers who were recommended by top officers.

Anko dismissed her thoughts, she was a soldier, she was meant to follow orders not question them "Alright princess, but you should check yourself out. Psionic skills without proper training can be annoying or even dangerous. You seem to be done for the day so let's chill out for while"

Hinata was a bit surprised, in the whole week since her training began Anko have been nothing short of a monster that seemed to take pleasure in her struggles and screams. Now she was inviting her to spend some free time together.

Hinata nodded and fell in step with the scary trainer "Where are we going?" asked Hinata to start a conversation with Anko

"To my favorite food stand of course! You haven't tasted goodness until you try Dango with some Sake!"

Hinata smiled nervously as she followed Anko out of the base and into the makeshift town full of "services" made for the military personnel.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Hinata was once amazed by the never ending wonders of the galaxy, though this one was one of the most disappointing ones, the makeshift town where special goods and services were provided for the recruits and military personnel of Terra's defense forces was made of wood and looked like a nest of gangs and criminals.

Anko had explained that officially such "pleasure town" shouldn't be here but the Dragon base located in the ancient Gobi desert was the only relief for the thousands of recruits that belonged to the Terra's defense forces. Unlike the soldiers trained at the Phalanx base, these recruits were never expected to leave Terra so their training was covered in different bases around the planet depicting the different battlegrounds available on the planet.

Hinata was glad she was wearing the military issue uniform or else she would have been confused with one of the many pleasure girls that crowded parts of the city. Anko on her side received all the cat calls and whistles young and old military personnel sent her way with great pride and returned suggestive winks here and there.

"Don´t mind them, they are only here blowing some steam. No one gets violent or too friendly, if that happen the base goes into lock down for three months and no one gets out to town. So you are fairly safe as long as you don't hint the wrong intentions to others" said Anko as she ushered Hinata into the relatively well hidden food stand.

"So all this is allowed by top brass Sergeant Mitarashi?" asked Hinata as she cleaned the chair she was going to seat on.

"It's Anko out of base and duty hours' princess!" said Anko as she relaxed on her chair and waved the owner to send her two of her favorite Dango.

"And Hinata as well" replied Hinata a bit fed up with the nickname Anko gave her the first time they met when Shizune practically abandoned her in said base.

"I'll call you that when and if you pass my training program princess. Until that you keep your pet name" said Anko as she gulped down her first vase of Sake.

Hinata didn't push the issue harder since she didn't wanted her training to be harder that it already was. Instead she decided to try and enjoy her free time with one of the few people willing to talk to her and not just ask her out. She also felt very lonely since the night Naruto was informed she would be part of his imposed retinue, because he stormed off searching for Tsunade and didn't came back at all. In the mean time she had a schedule to fulfill and a dream to achieve so she would leave Naruto to his own devices and figure out what to do once her training was over.

She was also quite pleased to notice how strong she had become. She acknowledged that part of her newfound strength was to the gene therapy she underwent but also to the ruthless training she was submitted to. She always considered herself to be in good shape but Anko proved her very wrong, her reflexes were slow and her endurance ran out quickly. Anko drilled into her that endurance, quick reflexes and constant training would give her the required tools to survive on the galactic battlefronts.

Anko now much more relaxed unzipped part of her tight fitting beige uniform allowing her breasts to breathe and expand as a few sweat drops rolled down into her cleavage. With a sexy move she grabbed a Dango stick and sticking her surprisingly long tongue coiled it around the Dango balls and slid them all into her mouth.

Hinata was beaming red while the male customers seemed like they were about to have a seizure. Anko looked around and gave a satisfied laugh.

"Eighty years and I still got it! So princess I've asked around and made some threats but no one seems to know why an inexperienced recruit was placed under my watch, not to mention the order to do so came from the very top of the top, which leaves only one person to give the order. I know the top brass has it secrets but I don't like to get involved in them, especially in such forceful manner. Besides, I have never seen your kind before, where is your home world?" said Anko as she continued to eat her Dango while keeping a careful eye on Hinata.

Hinata felt the intensity of her stare and by what she just said she was at least a hundred years old. Anko looked like she was a careless and ruthless battle trainer but her new skills along with Anko's combat prowess showed a very experienced and well concealed mind.

Hinata also remembered that though her status as a former low worlder wasn't strictly a secret she should try to keep that information to a limited number of people. Low worlders were rare and so certain collectors may be interested. Hinata decided she could trust Anko since she was in charge of the special training and had indeed taught her a lot of useful stuff that would make her a worthy ally to Naruto.

Anko listened to the entire account of her presence on the Federation and her new orders. As Hinata finished her tale Anko leant back on her chair and let out a long breath. "Wow princess, I never imagined you had such a tale to tell. Honestly I thought you were some kind of strange experiment of the higher ups! And to be placed with the blonde brat! You seriously need the training then, that kid may be invincible but he pretty much wastes anything within his combat radius. If you want to survive this you will have to take my lessons to heart!"

Hinata sweated a bit listening to Anko's discouraging words but at the same time she got curious, apparently Anko knew Naruto, probably from training back in his senior cadet days.

"Anko, from where do you know Naruto?" asked an expectant Hinata.

Anko finished another vase of Sake and smiling she replied "Well, I am the one who tested and trained him for his Justicar induction. The boy was already as tall as he is today but was much clumsier back then. His pinky friend always had to step in to help him do things right but even like that he always managed to pull a disaster, even from safer training exercises. In the end I had to recommend the boy for an extended period of training but the higher ups needed him on the front lines ASAP for some political bullshit. In the end he has turned into a great Strike Justicar but as well a lone wolf of sorts, from what I know he goes solo into the most dangerous missions available. And from my experience those tales always have sad lonely endings"

Anko's demeanor had changed greatly from the beginning of their chat to the moment she remembered Naruto.

Hinata figured out that Anko somehow had a soft spot for people like Naruto so having a chance to investigate more about him she asked "How do you know Naruto will be like that?"

Anko ordered more Sake as she closed her eyes recalling the old memories "Well, believe it or not, I used to be in a Justicar's retinue, actually the first and the greatest there has been and also one of the most tragic tales in the corps. It was actually during the program's early beginnings when now Admiral Jiraiya stated before the previous Grand Admiral the need of covert law enforcement agents to keep separatists and foreign powers from undermining the federation. The first subject for the program was his very comrade from the academy Orochimaru, a Slithyan. Orochimaru accepted the task and he quickly formed a small squad of both veterans and talented new recruits. I was part of those recruits he gathered. For ten long years we battled the real threats of the federation and we saw evil things that still give me nightmares. Those years of service proved to make the Justicar program a great success but fighting all that darkness took a heavy toll. By the end of those ten years I was the only one alive from the original team and Orochimaru was no longer the same, he had changed, in a way it's like all that we fought had tainted him. Then in one of our most dangerous missions, all things went to hell and for some reason Orochimaru betrayed the Federation, he was rumored to be seen leaving for Uchiha space afterwards. I was the only one to come back alive from that mission and a heavy toll of suspicion and blame was casted upon me. Grand Admiral and Admiral Jiraiya defended me at their best but public uproar demanded vengeance not real justice. So in the end I was grounded on Terra to babysit new Justicars as long as I insist to remain in the military"

Anko saw the compassionate look of Hinata and continued "So when I received Naruto and Sakura for training, I managed to see that those two, mischievous behavior was a result of social isolation. Sakura was better adapted since she is a Hercian but Naruto's status as a Feranian brought all kinds of mistrust and taunts from his peers. Naruto is resilient as a tank but his heart is a soft as anyone else's. I warned the top brass about this but the promise of a future with the Feranians was too good to pass over the feelings of a boy. The best I managed was to convince them of constant psychiatric evaluation to ascertain Naruto's stability. But in the end Naruto will break and then that wonderful boy will be forever damaged"

Anko finished telling her thoughts about Naruto based on her experience dealing with one who was once considered a hero. Hinata saw how Anko drank away those ghosts and wondered if her future would hold something similar, who was she to see a hundred or two hundred years into the future?

As silence settled between the two, Hinata tried the Dango Anko seemed to adore almost as much as torturing her. She was quite pleased at the tasty flavor and she would remember to look out for the recipe of such dish.

"So, the horny brat has tried something on you yet?" asked Anko out of the blue with a grin making Hinata spill some of the Sake she was carefully sipping away.

"W-W-What? N-No he haven't tried something like that on me…yet" said a rosy Hinata. Anko laughed out hard.

"When I first met him, I never imagined he would be such a brat! He was all shy an unsecure of being around me and the new surroundings; he always stood by his pinky friend looking for some assurance. And then after a particularly hard day when he absolutely screwed up in training I took pity and decided to pay him a visit and offer some counsel, imagine my surprise when I saw him and Sakura doing it like there was no tomorrow, I mean I do wild things in bed but those two can still teach me a thing or two!" finished saying Anko in her disastrous way to lighten up the mood.

Not knowing what to say Hinata just remained seated sweating feeling how the sake was starting to get to her as she tried not to think of Naruto, a sweating, naked aroused Naruto.

Anko noticed this and continued believing she actually got into a good subject "After that I started watching the kid with different eyes as he moved on with training. My schedule alongside with his still developing body got me to see him become a man. I was informed his species lived far longer than most and that they were incredibly well evolved. That did nothing but stir something "dark" in me so on one occasion Sakura left for Hercia on vacation and I had Naruto all to myself…" said Anko with a grin.

Hinata's mind was almost a blur by now and hearing of a subject she barely understood (sex) she without much control of her own words dared to ask "And what happened?"

Anko smiled and leant forward to talk in a more low tone "Amazingly, nothing at all in the beginning. I tried to hint him my intentions since it had been a very long time since I had any and not to mention since I am half Slithyan makes it hard to find a willing couple based on prejudices against the snake people. I was about to give up when strangely Naruto noticed me sad and frustrated (sexually) that I finally bagged the brat! Have to admit he has some skill but his endurance makes up for any failings!"

By now Anko was really drunk and Hinata's head was sill spinning with images of Naruto and her instructor. "Why did he respond when you finally gave up…?" slurred Hinata. Anko answered "Naruto is very kind by nature, dumb but kind, so when I seemed sad and defeated, he "helped me", strange how his mind works. He always tries to take the high road but he fails to work the angles. Not even Kurenai managed to drill those lessons into his thick skull!" said Anko a bit too loud.

"Kurenai?" asked Hinata trying to clear her thoughts.

"Right! She will also give you instruction starting next week. Her specialty are strategies, history and social adaptability for law and government representatives. She will try to teach you the more subtle ways of the Justicar, not every victory is won with guns or Psionic prowess!"

Standing up Anko took Hinata and stumbling they made their way back to the barracks.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Hinata was running but smiling faintly at the same time, unlike Anko's brutal instructions; Kurenai's were a piece of heaven itself. From Hinata's perspective Kurenai was almost a queen, she carried herself with a deceptive elegance, and her beauty could be appreciated in a subtle manner as her entire outfit combined with her managed to create a unique look that made most turn her way in expressions of awe and utter admiration, almost like watching a master piece. Not like Anko slutty looks and behavior!

Hinata also enjoyed this side of her training much more than the combat training, she was really grateful she was becoming a competent warrior but learning the more subtle approaches of a Justicar's duties was much more rewarding and less painful. Her studies involved several aspects or different generalized cultures that have spread throughout the Federation, some sectors were heavily industrialized, others were agricultural, others had a ridiculous amount of merchants, other were highly militarized and others were the hubs of nearly all organized crime currently operating in the Federation. Each sector had to be treated differently and applying different rules since locals could be offended by things people from another sector would have found respectful.

Hinata also felt very nostalgic since these kinds of lessons were similar to the etiquette lessons she received in her home on Augya. Becoming a noble lady meant learning all kinds of rules and manners to attend the household's guests and eventually the husbands. Thinking back, Hinata felt herself a lifetime away from her former self in Augya; she knew she had encountered Naruto less than a month ago but now, she knew so much, and have changed so much in so little time that her previous life now seemed a distant dream. She had thrown herself into a maelstrom looking for a shiny dream and now it seemed the maelstrom calmed down after a hundred years of spinning in it. But time is a funny thing and yet, less than a month has gone by.

Hinata was running late from her morning combat exercises and knew Kurenai was going to reprehend her with that "look", those ruby red eyes were as enthralling as they were ominous; Hinata had tried to ask from which planet she hailed from but every time Kurenai managed to sway Hinata from her curiosity and by the time she remembered, the lesson was over.

"I am so sorry Sergeant Yuhi! Sergeant Mitarashi thought it would be funny to have the artillery squad practice during my run through the field and so it took me longer" said a panting Hinata in her minor officer uniform.

Kurenai laughed faintly as she practically glided over to Hinata and sat her uniform straight "Don't worry Hinata, that's Anko's way of showing she likes you, she gives you all the extra training so you won't get hurt out there, though she is likely going to hurt you more than any criminal out there"

Hinata just sighed and proceeded to take her seat as she admired her instructor returning to the front

"Hinata, it's been a week since I began your instruction and I am pleased to say that you are one of my most talented and eager students. So far, most of my students have been nothing but a bunch of over excited gun maniacs, which have to be reeducated to become competent Justicars. Most don't quite make the cut. This makes your case quite a curious one, according to Anko you were inducted to this special training regime by command of Grand Admiral Tsunade. You have to admit that picks anyone's curiosity" said Kurenai as she eyed her only student at the time.

Hinata sighed a bit wondering why everyone was so concerned about her standing. Yes it was a rather unique situation but should they be so interested? Hinata proceeded to tell her story calmly to her current instructor forgetting today's lesson completely.

"Mmm, I knew you were an off worlder since your traits weren't in any database from the Federation which leaves you to be a member of a pre space flight species. But you meeting with Naruto and then getting dragged into all this? Certainly Naruto's adventures turn out to be the most interesting ones" said Kurenai with a gentle smile as she sat across Hinata.

Hinata now knowing that most instructors in this program had met Naruto in the past decided that based on Kurenai's instruction you should take any chance you have to gather intelligence. Kurenai noticed Hinata's expression and quickly deduced she wanted to know about Naruto. She would concede though she would have to remark on Hinata to make it a natural ability to guide conversations into full blown confessions from other people.

"You want me to tell you about Naruto, don't you?" said Kurenai as she gracefully relaxed on her cushioned chair. Being good in your job pays!

Hinata knew she got read like an open book and knew Kurenai would reprimand her later but so far getting more info on her future commander was already a victory no matter the method.

Kurenai dropped her data slate on the desk and relaxed on her chair as she crossed her fingers "Naruto was by far my most difficult student. Not only because he was highly undisciplined but because he had a terrible time catching on with my lessons and the many lessons underneath"

The statement made Hinata a bit confused but said nothing

"Naruto's points of view were black and white without any grey between. This made it difficult for him to understand the more subtle differences between established cultures and the proper time to act. He is admirable in his sense of justice which reflects in his rather impressive but destructive accomplishments. Yet he fails to grasp the future consequences of his actions and the way he performed them, thus forcing the federation to invest heavily on a determined point distracting it from other critical issues. A great Justicar can perform his or her duties effectively and cleanly leaving behind a renewed Federation status on the area, not the dread of having Naruto return to their sector to bring more havoc. Which curiously also works in some places" said Kurenai as she brought up an old looking book, pretty much like those she remembered from her implanted memories.

In it there were printed pictures of several young men and women, after Kurenai turned several pages she reached the one where Naruto stood with a light frown on his face and averting eyes. Hinata wondered why was he frowning, usually Naruto was all smiles, especially in pictures.

As if reading her thoughts Kurenai proceeded "This is Naruto as honest as he can possibly be, or was, it's been some time since we saw each other. You wonder why I took a picture like that. Most people walk around with masks on their faces, of confidence, sadness, joy, anger and so on; and based on the impressions left by those masks other people treat us in a desired way. Rarely does someone is truly honest all the time and on these pictures I capture the most honest faces of all my students. That rare frowning Naruto is a very true part of him, I could sense that something bothered him greatly but had a really hard time guessing what it was since he was very good to hide everything with a reassuring smile. After a while I had given up trying to unearth the thoughts behind such expression and carried on with our lessons"

Hinata also wondered about that, Naruto's frowns have been on the spur of the moment all the time and as quickly as he frowned he returned to his smile in the blink of an eye. This picture of him showed a buildup of emotions that took her back to the look of his father after some long agitated negotiations with other clans back in Augya, yet on Naruto must have been something that attempted against his deepest beliefs.

Kurenai read in Hinata's face how her mind started to make deductions based on her current training. She was very impressed with her ability to draw so many possibilities from one image, those eyes of her were a unique gift indeed.

Hinata knowing that she could only speculate decided to probe Kurenai further about this obscure side of Naruto.

"And did you ever found out what was he feeling or thinking back then?" asked a very interested Hinata.

Kurenai smiled tenderly and answered "Well, I did after sometime but it took some sort of bargaining and other more personal issues that you may find uncomfortable to listen to. Are you sure you want to know?"

Hinata was at a crossroads, this kind of situation was a bit rare. On one side she had a willing answer just waiting for her approval but the warning from Kurenai was specifically for her. Was the answer something unpleasant? Was it something horrible? Or just another lesson from her mentor?

Hinata remained considering and decided that given the tender smile on Kurenai's lips it was safe to think the memory might be a good one.

Kurenai's smile turned into something a bit more playful and somewhat devilish making Hinata second guess her decision but it was too late.

"Well back at the time when I was figuring him out I was dating someone else, the son of a famed officer in the Federation, but unlike his father, the guy was a total disappointment not to mention highly irresponsible and rebellious just because he couldn't carry his father's shadow. Thinking it better his own nephew despite being like Naruto in many ways, has more future in the fleet than him. Anyway, back then the guy and I had a huge fight and for the first time in many years I felt vulnerable and confused. Naruto was left alone because Sakura had gone back to Hercia on holidays to visit her parents and so we were both lonely…" said Kurenai remembering.

Hinata didn't like how this story was going through a now known pattern but it was too late since there was still an answer to be heard.

"Naruto was angry at me because I always remarked him that though common sense can dictate if something or someone was just, in this multi species Federation law is absolute and as such justice is complicated and many times not served in the way he expects. He was terribly angry that people even considered him naïve for his points of view and even called him a barbarian. I am ashamed to say that I was one of such persons but back then Naruto managed to drive me crazy with his simple mind and stubborn behavior" sigh "But that night Naruto was pacing around the training grounds like a restless beast, while I had just broken up with the man I mentioned before. So I watched him pace around with that lonely angry expression as if he was in need of some solace. He noticed me soon enough and glared at me like no one had before making me cry on the spot since I felt so weak and stupid. He quickly came by my side and helped me up apologizing with a worried voice" Kurenai walked over by Hinata who seemed a bit bothered

"He was very gentle with me even though I did nothing to earn it. I kissed him and well you can pretty much imagine what happened afterwards"

Hinata tried to negate the images forming in her head while she processed the answer Kurenai just gave him. Naruto was simple minded but at heart all he sought was Justice and happiness for the people around him.

Hinata now saw that her mission was not just to be a mindful eye over her new superior but also help him better direct those good points in Naruto into assets everyone could e proud of.

She will also have to address his "kind" nature with women in their time together.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

A month and a half have gone by since she began her special training program and Hinata was admiring the results in a mirror. She was way taller according to Shizune who came to pick her up and indeed the woman who once stood at the same height as her was now almost a head smaller than she.

She felt stronger, smarter and faster than ever in her whole life; and allowing herself some pride, she looked awesome!

Her instructors told her that though her training course should last at least two years, the teaching machine and the gene therapy had helped her get through most of the lessons fairly quick still they warned her to keep training whenever she could and remember that actual experience was more important than any amount of training.

She vowed before her every instructor and thanks them all for their hard work and patience.

Shizune told her that Naruto finally "calmed down" and they were expected to meet him in the Justicar's keep to have her formally join his retinue and depart on their first assignment.

And so Hinata steps further into the path to her dreams.

**AN: DONE!**

**Wow that took me forever! Now I know I should have updated this story sooner but the firm where I work for got into a contest over a big government contract and you can guess did the brunt of the paperwork. This and some other personal issues that finally settled, stopped me from writing continuously which probably reflects badly on this chapter. This chapter is mainly to have time passing by and on next one, they finally set out to their adventures in space**

**Also I am having a big deal of trouble keeping up with this story since it's an extremely original concept and so is hard to keep thinking of all the new things I have to put in there so have patience or give me cool ideas for Naruto and Hinata's adventures, anything is welcomed.**

**For now I am going to dedicate myself to the next chapter of my main project so it will be some time before I update this one again.**

**Read, Enjoy and Review!**


	6. First Challenge!

**Chapter 6: First Challenge!**

Hinata had been given a new change of clothes which depicted tight but resistant black cargo pants, black very polished boots, a plain v-neck white shirt with no symbols and short sleeves and a black military style jacket with a few silver buttons. According with Shizune this is the unofficial uniform of the Justicar corps retinue, since the organization didn't had much structure and the operatives needed to go in covert operations, uniforms were rarely required.

Shizune also commented on how different she looked from her former self, she pointed the air of confidence she started to exude and the competence with she learned to move around people, machines and vehicles. To be honest Hinata also noted these changes and certainly her former self would never be as confident as she felt right now.

Nonetheless Hinata did felt she needed to improve in several aspects, like long range weapons use, vehicle handling, maneuvering and operation and lastly and most frustrating Psionic abilities. Shizune explained that practice was required for those disciplines and though she had tried her hand on weapons and vehicles she had to admit that her low world origin did made those subjects extremely alien and so very difficult to grasp. As for the Psionic abilities, those were a personal issue since most Psionic users developed their powers in different ways and many times with different skill. And since Hinata was from a new species the few Psionic users she could find told her to take it very slow and in places where safety could be guaranteed.

Hinata did try to evoke the sensations when her skill first came but so far the only thing she got was a terrible pain on the front of her face. Techs from the Science magistrate told her to be patient since some genetic changes may still need time to settle in her body and force her newly found powers could slow the final elements of her therapy. So for the time being no Psionic abilities for a while.

The shuttle had lifted them over the planet to make a quick orbital flight and later descend on a northern island of Terra, Shizune explained that the Vigil's Keep was a refurnished ancient castle from Terra's now extinct royal families. It stood grim and solemn on top of a middle sized mountain displaying in black banners the sun pierced by a sword. Shizune explained that the Keep's largest structure was underground protected by several layers of confidential armor and the castle above was used for the Keep's master and the public relations office.

Hinata's keen eyes could make the basic lining of the underground structure from the shuttle and realized how large it really was. The surface was cleverly disguised by gardens, patches of trees and mirror like lakes, nonetheless a trained keen eye could tell the size of it.

The shuttle quickly landed on the roof of the highest tower on the castle and there they were greeted by a squad of armed men and women dressed in slightly more elaborated Retinue's uniforms. Hinata also noted the varying species heights and side arms each possessed; something told her that she wouldn't find regular troopers on this facility.

Shizune explained her that given the nature of the Justicar's program and its operations, only trustworthy personnel was allowed to operate the Keep. She said that most of the Retinue were recruited to join the Justicar's since it's an obligation for every citizen to aide them when called to do so; those who decide to dedicate themselves to the Justicar's cause for a lifetime become retinue and eventually ascended to the rank of Ever Watchful. Most of the retinue present at the keep has already lost their Justicar.

Unlike the Armies Magistrate the Vigil's Keep wasn't luxurious or awe inspiring, it always depicted an air of solemn respect for those who go beyond the call of duty and loyalty. Few pictures adorned the walls, each with the image of an elegantly dressed Justicar in it holding a beautiful golden blade which had a sun crest on the hilt. Shizune explained her that those were heroes lost in action and never heard of again. Over the pass of a century already dozens have perished fighting the enemies no armies could.

Hinata and Shizune kept walking through the silent corridor until they reached a grand statue of a man who resembled greatly the snake like man in Tsunade´s picture of her academy days. Shizune explained that this man was the very first Justicar and though he turned into a traitor, the Justicar corps hasn't erased him from their records, since it would be shameful to do not praise his accomplishments and the legacy he left behind. Many of his contributions can still be felt to this day and it was from his creation the training program for future Justicars.

Hinata approached the statue to read the Inscription on its base _"Heed my story and learn from it; Once, I held the light against the never ending shadows but in the end they will overwhelm you. Be like a star and shine as bright as you can while you last so that others follow and learn before your fall. Make a road for those who will go farther"_. Shizune added that the message as well as the statue was made by Orochimaru's people, the Slithyan in sign of shame over his betrayal.

Hinata and Shizune moved farther into the Keep until they reached the Vigil's office. Officially Jiraiya is an Admiral of the Enterran federation but it has been long since he stepped on a ship's bridge as the fleet commander his status guaranteed, instead he became the head of this program and given its secret nature and independent structure he holds the unofficial title of Vigilant as the head of all Justicars in the Federation.

Entering the office Hinata quickly noticed Naruto dressed in his elegant black suit with his golden insignia strapped on the neck his collar and the elegant golden sword of the Justicar hanging from his belt. He looked as handsome as she could remember and with a great air of nobility. She noticed that in the office also stood present Sakura in her former attire except this time she was wearing tight black pants and custom made boots with those silver bands around her ankles and wrists, she also carried her sword by the belt.

The two of them were joking and laughing while talking to a white haired middle aged man who was seated behind a large wooden desk. Said man seemed to be on the verge of tears as Naruto kept talking. The Admiral seemed to be already aging but good natured and kind. The total opposite to the man who became the first Justicar.

"And finally she was screaming her head off at me so to shut her up I caught her on the lips! After that she seemed like she was going to cry but went away huffing and cursing!" said Naruto with a few tears threatening to escape.

At that Jiraiya and Sakura burst out in uncontrolled laughter while bending "Geez Naruto, you sure know how to pick them!" said Sakura while patting Naruto's back.

"Son! That has to be one of your smoothest operational conclusions so far in your record!" screamed Jiraiya as he tried to calm down.

"Ahem!" exclaimed loudly Grand Admiral Tsunade as she rose from a very comfortable couch. This time though she was dressed in a long elegant black gown, which made her look less radiant and much older and wiser.

The two Justicars quickly turned their heads in her direction as Jiraiya suddenly became silent and observing of the situation.

Hinata averted her eyes when the three persons near the desk blushed while appraising her very new looks. On another side she was pleased to see Naruto finding her attractive, since until now he never showed any attraction to her beyond some questionable actions.

"So this is the imposed retinue. You know I don't like political struggles meddling with my Justicars Tsunade" said Jiraiya while Naruto and Sakura made way for Tsunade to see directly at the Vigilant.

"I know Jiraiya, but this time I had to yield. Arremius cornered me and Theron took the chance to make it impossible for me to maneuver out of this mess. Two magisters against one is a battle I rather avoid not to mention the only one who would have been affected is miss Hyuuga here" said Tsunade as she beckoned Hinata and Shizune to step closer.

Jiraiya sighed and gestured Hinata to get close to his desk "Miss Hyuuga, I have been briefed by all the involved parties about your decision to accept the ruling of the magisters and your induction into the Justicar corps. Tell, do you know what is expected from you as a retinue?"

Hinata felt like the first time she stood before the Federation's authorities but having gone through so much and her body changed in irreversible ways she didn't felt like backing out "I am to serve Naruto Uzumaki as his first retinue, I will help him in the procurement of Justice across the Federation. This is a dangerous mission but one I accept to earn my place among you!"

Jiraiya didn't gave away any reaction as he leant back on his chair "You seem to be determined, I give you that much. But being a retinue is something much more complicated than that, Justicars job is to do "anything" to guarantee the continued survival and strength of the Federation across its entire territory. That means killing, destroying, sabotaging, spying and even do things that may go against your basic principles. All for the greater good and in that you may lose part of yourself"

Jiraiya rose from his chair to stand even taller than Tsunade and stepped between his Justicar placing a hand on their shoulders "Justicars and their retinues must plunge themselves into the darkest pits of the galaxy to stop those shadows from overwhelming the ignorant masses. Theirs is not a job anyone can do or return from. By my authority and contacts I can redirect you elsewhere and guarantee the Magisters will not touch you, so I ask again. Are you sure you want to do this? Once you accept there is no going back and you will only get out after several years or in a coffin"

Hinata did understand that the task was a dangerous one, perhaps the most dangerous in the entire Federation. But seeing that Naruto and so many others have willingly marched into the shadows to protect countless people was inspiring enough for her.

Hinata exhaled and replied "Lord Jiraiya, you must know I hail from a low World. Back there my fate was a determined from the moment they noticed I was a girl; my entire life was submitted to the needs and desires of the ruling men in my family. Marry an unknown man which I didn't love, obey without question, bend and accept everything that was coming my way for nowhere in my world would things be any different. But then Naruto fell from the sky pursuing a criminal, and he told me of the wonders beyond my world. But the most amazing one was the freedom to choose your own fate. It is true that this job may be more than I bargained for, but the great thing about it is that this was my choice and I don't intend to back down from it. And if by doing this I can protect the freedom of others, I am more than willing"

Jiraiya allowed a faint smile to grace his face "Well no one can reply against that kind of speech! You would make a fine councilor! If this is truly what you want then I have my mind at peace and gratefully accept your willing sacrifice, from this moment onwards you are…"

BAHM! A loud noise interrupted the Vigilant acceptance of Hinata's services "I, Justicar Sakura Haruno challenge that decision! I won't allow an inexperienced newcomer to be by Naruto's side and risk him death or injury!" finished saying Sakura as she moved forward to Hinata.

"You may have the will to do this but from what I know you have zero experience at anything regarding the Federation and believe me, no amount of training can prepare you for what we do!" said Sakura with contempt in her voice.

Hinata was surprised that Sakura was addressing her in this manner but she understood. From what she learned, Naruto and Sakura were very close since childhood and through most of their careers in the Federation and knowing how dangerous their jobs were, every time they met might as well be the last. Sakura was just being protective of Naruto.

Hinata decided to remain quiet while expecting a reply from someone since probably she didn't had the authority to challenge a ruling of the Magisters. Jiraiya read her thoughts and answered.

"Given our status, we have more privileges than most law enforcement agents or military. If a Justicar deems a decision made by local or higher authorities or other Justicars to be foolish, unnecessary or plain wrong, he or she can challenge it, but to do so it has to prove it. Sakura, on what grounds do you challenge this decision?" said Jiraiya while looking at Sakura.

Sakura whirled to face the others in the room and quickly replied "Competence, as you all know retinues are proven warriors or operators with different but useful skills. Hinata here may have been taught by the machines, her body changed with therapy and her skills taught with training. But she has zero actual experience on anything that may prove useful to a Justicar, and much less to someone like Naruto"

Even Hinata had to admit that such observance was correct, she was yet to be tempered in the fires of actual service and from what she knew Sakura was considered a great Justicar, so her point must carry weight among her peers.

Looking around everyone else seemed to be bothered by the crude reality presented by Sakura, especially Naruto who looked like he had to accept something difficult. Jiraiya appraised everyone and stepped on.

"Well Hinata, Sakura is presenting a very truthful point. It is true you have no experience at anything a Justicar may find useful; you would need a couple of years of exemplary service to actually become a candidate to look out for or become a privateer who hones her skills by her own account. So I ask you, do you find yourself skilled enough to accompany Naruto?"

Hinata had made her choice long ago and endured a lot to reach this point. Valid or not, she would not heed Sakura's words. "Yes I do. And I will prove it if necessary"

Jiraiya turned to Sakura and said "Well you have an answer what do you think?"

Sakura looked at Hinata and crackling her knuckles she said "Then let her prove her competence"

Something in Sakura's eyes worried Hinata but she was beyond the turning point.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

The entire group had moved to the sparring arena of the keep were Justicars came to settle old scores in a "safe" "amicable" way. Today an aspirant to join the retinue had challenged a Justicar's decision to block her induction. Word spread fast and soon enough the arena was crowded with other Justicars and a lot of Ever Watchful guards who came to see the rare event.

Sakura has decreed that one of the most important things a retinue must have is the talent to hold their own in battle, since Justicars found themselves often outgunned and outnumbered. Sakura was going to allow Hinata to become Naruto's retinue if she proved herself competent enough to not get killed while serving with Naruto.

Hinata must face in hand to hand combat a powerful Hercian warrior which besides having a mighty strength given her origin. Was also, a powerful Psionic.

The rules were simple. Hinata must hold her ground for at least 10 minutes of intense combat. She could use any skill or weapon on the walls. All tactics were allowed.

Hinata sighed acknowledging the mess she got herself into but this was just the first real challenge since her coming to the Galaxy. She would have to find a way through this.

Shizune approached Hinata while she was flexing and warming up "Hinata I won't say to back down from this fight but be very careful. Sakura is extremely strong and her close quarters combat was taught by Grand Admiral Tsunade herself, she is unrelenting once she starts and quite vicious given her unstable personality"

Hinata wondered why Shizune was discouraging her like this but before she asked her to go away before she started trembling, Shizune added "But she has crucial weakness which might give you an opening. And you have the perfect weapon for that"

Hinata desperately wanted to know what that great advantage was but Shizune was called by Tsunade to stand by her side.

On the other side Sakura had removed her jacket and arranged her long messy hair in a long braid as her personal aide held her jacket and encouraged her to give a youthful demonstration of ability.

Both combatants approached to the center of the arena where another Justicar with a high spiky pony tail stood clad in a black drench coat "So troublesome, you sure you want to carry this on? It would be less painful" said looking at Hinata who was adopting her stance

"No matter what I won't back down!" almost screamed Hinata giving herself some assurance before facing her foe.

"Troublesome, I Justicar Shikamaru Nara will act as official witness and judge of this engagement. The rules are simple. No deathblows (glare at Sakura) anything else is a go, victory is determined by yielding, knock out or ten minutes run out. Are both participants content with the rules?"

Both women nod

"Then as troublesome as it is you shall begin!"

Hinata jumped backwards giving herself some space to asses her opponent. Sakura on her side remained firmly in place assessing what Hinata might attempt at her before deciding what strategy might work better.

Hinata watched the semi relaxed posture of Sakura; it had several openings which Hinata thought at first could be used to bring her down, but closer inspection told her that such openings could be blocked swiftly and turn into deathly traps. Certainly Sakura was showing the experience of fighting.

While still deciding Sakura decided to probe her, so with a quick step went for a straight but extremely fast punch. Hinata barely managed to move her head to the side. By instinct Hinata readied herself for a follow up counter but she didn't anticipated Sakura flexing her elbow whipping back at her head. Hinata barely managed to dodge it and jumped farther from Sakura to avoid any other unexpected attacks.

By now Hinata had realized the wide gap between training and actual combat experience. Sakura probably got herself in fight against multiple opponents so being able to strike multiple times in several directions was a need. She was way deadlier than she imagined but Hinata wouldn't give up with just a few exchanges.

Sakura twirled around quickly with a devilish smile on her face "Seems like you could hold your own in a drunken fistfight. Let's take this another notch up" At this she backed her fist in like readying a powerful blow.

Hinata concentrated to try and keep Sakura in her sight since her whole body could be used as a weapon.

Sakura dived at great speed against Hinata in a similar manner to before. Hinata was ready to move farther away and attempt a swift attack at her blind side. Sakura approached at great speed and Hinata saw how her fist ricocheted at her with blinding speed but something was amiss, Sakura's fist seemed like it was far more threatening than before so Hinata once again jumped out of the way getting away from Sakura's reach.

The fist went without hitting home and Hinata was surprised to see that the power behind that punch actually was much greater as the wind blow hit the far wall with force. But Hinata had little time to wander what was that as Sakura had thrown a delayed roundhouse kick which came with a similar effect to her previous punch. Hinata barely dodged the kick by ducking in time.

This time though Hinata noticed something warm running down the side of her face, she touched it and realized it was blood. The kick didn't touch her but that weird effect in Sakura's punches and kick probably did, Hinata realized that if Sakura managed to land a blow like that on her the battle would be over.

Naruto worriedly watched the exchanges; Hinata clearly have already realized how dangerous Sakura was but he knew that Sakura was just playing if she truly wanted to end this she would have already deactivated her bands. Still he didn't knew what Sakura pretended with this fight they had already talked about it and Sakura though reluctantly have already accepted.

Hinata decided that continuing to dodge was only buying her time nonetheless Sakura was bound to figure out her moves eventually and end the fight in one strike.

Hinata adopted the fighting stance from the lessons in Augya and prepared herself to attack Sakura who noticing her intentions adopted her deceptive stance once again. Hinata gave quick steps to close the distance and charged with her open palms in quick strikes. Sakura smiled at her attempt and swiftly started to deflect and dodge her strikes.

Hinata realized how easily was Sakura countering her efforts but paid no mind, every second counted and the best way to stay safe was on the offensive. As she thought of this she instinctively increased the speed of her strikes constantly aiming for the weak spots on Sakura's body but as she increased the pace Sakura took the chance to faint a counter punch that threw the frenzied Hinata off balance; taking the chance Sakura managed to land her knee on Hinata's stomach.

Hinata felt how the air was drained from her body as she stumbled back trying to get at a safe distance from Sakura. She couldn't believe the strength behind that strike, not even Sergeant Mitarashi punched like that. Hinata then remembered what Shizune said about Sakura sometime ago. She is a female of the Hercian species, natural warriors, warlike people and hailing from a high gravity world which meant her body became extremely strong to hold against so much gravity. Not to mention she suspected Sakura was using some sort of Psionic power behind her strikes.

"Done already little one? I give you credit for standing and fighting but if this is the best you can do, you have no chance out there with the really scary people!" said Sakura as she started circling Hinata.

Hinata got really mad at the last remark, she had submitted herself to so much as to be stopped here by the whim of a girl with pink hair. As her anger grew a familiar pain started to crept on her face but she paid no mind, her only focus at the moment was to be able to land a good strike at Sakura.

Getting tired of waiting for her opponent to get back into the fight, Sakura started once again with a familiar combination punches, elbow spins and kicks. This time Hinata was dodging them more swiftly than before and actually started to seek blocking them to stop Sakura's momentum. But every time she attempted this her defense was broken by Sakura's sheer strength. Still this was dragging on for too long and five minutes have gone by already.

Hinata reeled back from another powerful strike from Sakura who this time adopted a more aggressive stance. Hinata noticed the air around Sakura's body became strange as if something was perturbing it. Hinata strained her eyes increasing the pain but paid no mind to it, she noticed a thin green glow around Sakura and how it flowed from one point of her body to the next as if in road.

Sakura threw herself to deliver a mighty strike only to have Hinata deflect it to one side with less effort than before. Sakura countered with a back hand slash but once again Hinata stopped her short to avoid the momentum. Hinata by instinct managed to connect a palm strike against Sakura's side with as much force as she could trying to strike the glowing road on her body.

Sakura felt the strike to be much stingier than she expected but it didn't deterred her from continuing her onslaught.

Sakura and Hinata continued for two more minutes exchanging strikes, Sakura had managed to land a couple of powerful punches on Hinata but despite the pain Hinata managed to hold on and continued striking Sakura with her palm strikes at several locations on Sakura's body.

Everyone thought that Hinata's strikes were doing little to no damage to Sakura who is a brawler and more accustomed to receive damage and withstand it. Naruto and some others did notice though how Sakura's strikes started to be slower and less powerful not to mention her Psionic powers were fluctuating. Hinata was doing something to Sakura in a progressive manner, but he wondered if any of the two realized it.

By the end of a new barrage of strikes Sakura did noticed that her speed had diminished and a numbing sensation started to take hold in several areas where Hinata had stroke her. She was also having a big trouble keeping her Psionic aura running into her limbs.

Sakura realized that Hinata somehow was bringing her down, but she already guessed her plan and decided to end this. No rookie was going to bring down an experienced Justicar!

Sakura stretched leaving Hinata wary of her next move. "I have to admit you almost got me with your strategy and we have less than two minutes to end this so to show you how scary the galaxy can truly be. Enjoy the show while you remain conscious little one" said Sakura as she reached for her silver bands.

Sakura twisted them a little and a wheezing sound indicated that something within had just shut down. After this Sakura gave a couple of slight jumps which left Hinata more preoccupied since it seemed like Sakura just recovered all her strength and speed.

"And for the main event!" said Sakura as a now visible green aura surrounded her entire body restoring her former flow within her body. Hinata noticed panicked that Sakura had just recovered from all the damage she had sustained before.

Hinata realized the wide gap of experience and power and knew that Sakura would attack her relentlessly until she yielded or fell unconscious. Hinata almost gave up at that moment but she remembered Kurenai's instructions of finding more ways to win a battle than sheer might. She also recalled Shizune's strange words about having the weapon to defeat Sakura.

Naruto almost jumped into the arena to stop Sakura from pummeling Hinata into dust but before he could step in Hinata dropped to ground and supported herself with one arm, she almost looked like she was posing.

Sakura remained with her battle aura glowing brightly but waited to see what the hell Hinata pretended by dropping so dramatically to the ground.

Hinata knew this was a huge gamble but she didn't found another solution. Hinata readied herself for the extremely embarrassing thing she was about to do.

Having her face covered by a few hair strands she putted on a pleading face and watery eyes as she looked straight to Sakura. Hinata whispered "Please…"

Sakura's battle aura dissolved into thin air as her faced blushed madly at the beautiful maiden in front of her pleading for her embrace (in her mind!) Sakura fell into some trance as she clumsily approached Hinata already thinking of the things she would like to do with her.

Hinata continued to beckon Sakura to get closer as she started to get red of embarrassment over her acting. This in turn made Sakura have a minor nose bleed as she pounced over Hinata to embrace her and never let her go.

Hinata saw her chance and feeling a bit guilty spun from the ground and using a twist delivered a powerful two handed palm strike square into Sakura's chest.

Sakura was sent flying against one of the walls at the exact moment the timer marked the end of the ten minutes set for the match.

Hinata was still red in embarrassment while Sakura was sitting against the wall with a bleeding nose and giggling perversely as she massaged the area where Hinata stroke her.

Hinata rose her face to notice the attendants laughing, sighing in disappointment or containing their own bleeding noses.

"Ha ha ha, you did it Hinata! That was awesome, who could ever have thought of using such strategy! I had my doubts but now I am really looking forward to work with you!" said a smiling Naruto as he approached Hinata.

Hinata spun around happily to look at Naruto but to her huge disappointment he was walking towards her with a huge nose bleed.

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Having being patched up Hinata, Naruto and the party involved in the sparring stood at Jiraiya's office where the final confirmations were being carried out.

"Thank you so much miss Hyuuga! This day is certainly one of the most interesting ones I have had in years!" exclaimed Jiraiya "Now that Sakura's challenge have been answered she no longer objects your joining into our corps. Now to make it official, this office shall grant you your insignia that will signal you before others, your standing among us"

Jiraiya rose from his seat holding the twelve pointed star with a small shield in front and approached Hinata intending to strap it to her jacket's chest. As he moved, both Naruto and Sakura blocked his way

"What are you two doing? Didn't you wanted her to become retinue?" asked a nervous Jiraiya

"Oh we do, but we won't let you strap the badge on her chest, you will probably grope her, old pervert!" said in unison Naruto and Sakura.

"She is my retinue so obviously is my duty to do so" said a proud looking Naruto while Sakura and Jiraiya sent him blank looks.

"You are no better than Jiraiya Naruto! I am a girl so she shouldn't have any objections" said a smug Sakura while receiving blank looks from everyone in the room.

As the three of the bickered over the "honor" to give her the badge, Tsunade forcefully took the badge from Jiraiya and threw it over to Hinata. "Strap it on yourself Hinata, you have earned it!" said a smiling Tsunade while Naruto, Sakura and Jiraiya seemed on the verge of tears for being denied.

But the one actually crying was Hinata. Tears of knowing her efforts have finally paid off, and though her journey was only beginning, she already went farther than anyone from her world.

"Thank you all…" whispered Hinata as she strapped the badge on her chest. At this Jiraiya, Naruto and Sakura went red and fainted over the cute Hinata.

**AN:**

**Fast Update people so be glad!**

**This chapter started with a good idea I just had to write before I morphed it into something else.**

**Now Naruto and Hinata are ready to tackle on their first assignment!**

**For my readers, how is my writing style? Are you liking the story so far? Any advice? Any ideas since this world allows for many kinds of adventures? Any questions?**

**Review more often people, remember many reviews are like fuel for writers and just happen to be one of my many motivations for keeping up despite having a lot of things to do!**

**Read, Enjoy and Review!**


	7. Taking Off

**Chapter 7: Taking Off**

Hinata had finally calmed down after receiving her retinue badge and was admiring on a mirror how it looked strapped to her jacket. Shizune had proceeded to wake up the unconscious perverted trio (Naruto, Sakura and Jiraiya) by kicking them; there was a limit of how shameless these three could be. Tsunade was smiling through all this; it's been a long time since she felt surrounded by family and it was both a warming and scary experience.

As the entire group had finally settled down, Hinata was taken to a private room with Jiraiya where she proceeded to sign her admittance into the Justicar's service and recite the oath of service _"Sustain the light is my mission; glory is not nor is fame. But sacrifice for those I serve and those I protect, may the never ending shadows find me ever ready to fight them. Service to my Justicar, service to the federation to death and worse"_

Jiraiya nodded satisfied as Hinata finished reciting her oaths as a recorder filmed her for the records. "Fulfill your oaths with bravery and diligence, stand strong for the moments when your Justicar will not, hold the line when no one else will, carry the light into the darkest pit and challenge those who whishes us evil with your very existence" responded Jiraiya to a kneeling Hinata. "Also there is one more oath to make young Hinata. One I made when Justicar Orochimaru betrayed us. If a Justicar betrays us and your allegiance remains true and your vows unbroken, you shall smite him or die trying. I hate to ask this from every retinue but it's a necessary evil we have to endure, and sadly one of many you will discover in your travels"

Hinata did hesitated for a moment, the single idea that Naruto would turn on the Federation sounded preposterous, almost insulting. But remembering Justicar Orochimaru's statue, the possibility existed like a shadow in a far corner. Naruto and Hinata literally had centuries ahead of them, time would definitely change them for good or worse. "I swear to destroy … him if he ever turns a traitor"

Jiraiya nodded and placing a hand on the still kneeling Hinata softly commented "Let us pray that day never comes"

Hinata replied "Better remembered a hero than a traitor"

Jiraiya helped her to stand "Well said"

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Jiraiya and Hinata came out of the room to be received by the now smiling group. Sakura was stopped short by Tsunade as she had tried to hug Hinata to congratulate her while Naruto and Shizune laughed at the two.

Jiraiya announced that to honor this especial event, he had arranged a small banquet for them. Hinata wondered why this whole thing was so celebrated, after all from what she understood Justicars recruited retinue quite often.

Once seated at the table, Hinata had to admit that the whole thing looked like the clan festivals back in Augya, an especial day when all formalities were dropped and everyone enjoyed to their hearts content. Naruto and Sakura as always were talking and laughing loudly as Sakura's retinue, Lee, performed a youthful demonstration of his latest achievement in his never ending quest to become a Justicar and save Sakura from her less than youthful tastes.

Hinata noticed that at the head of the table Jiraiya was talking softly with Tsunade by her side, the small smiles, stolen glances and small gracing from one another indicated that there was more than a simple comradeship among the two.

Before this display, Hinata felt once again out of place. Noticing her embarrassed expression Shizune sat by her side "Feeling left out? Don't worry it happens to everyone, give it time and soon enough you will write your own story by their side"

Hinata felt a bit relieved knowing she wasn't alone with her thoughts "Everyone seems like a big family, back in my home world it was rare to have such events"

Shizune replied "This event is also quite rare, this group gathers around on very limited occasions. It's a little respite for them from their everyday activities. Lady Tsunade's responsibilities involve the maneuvering of millions of soldiers and thousands of vessels. Lord Jiraiya leads dozens of Justicars across the Federation, gathering secrets that may destabilize the galaxy. Naruto and Sakura are both field agents, they face death every time they step out of this place. Knowing all that, they still manage to gather around happily. Give it time and soon you will earn your place on this table"

Shizune continued "I bet you are dying to know some of the stories among them, don't pretend you haven't seen them with interest"

Hinata blushed guiltily and nodded. Shizune added "Then my friend let me fill you in with some of the juiciest gossips about them"

Shizune proceeded to tell Hinata some harmless stories about the group to a thankful Hinata.

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As Naruto left with Sakura and Jiraiya for some debriefing and mission assignments, Hinata was left alone with Tsunade in a small but cozy room.

"Hinata, I think I promised to tell you things about Naruto that very few knows and since you will be his retinue then you must know as much as you can of him" said Tsunade while she sipped her tea.

Hinata lowered her own cup and waited for lady Tsunade's account

"The main reason of why Jiraiya and I care so much for Naruto it's because he is our grandson" said Tsunade

Hinata's eyes widened but at the same time she always suspected there was a strong bond among them.

Tsunade continued "You probably don't see any resemblance between us and him, but that is because Naruto isn't our biological grandson as his father wasn't our biological son"

Hinata was left confused, wasn't Naruto a Feranian? Son to one of their Matriarchs? Is Naruto a half-breed?

Tsunade dismissing the obvious questions within Hinata proceeded to share her story "My species, the Treelians, have long lives but at the expense of having very low birth rates. The reason for that is because we can only bear children once in our entire lifetime, but we usually have multiple children so it is compensated. Nonetheless for a female of my kind in order to bear children we must enter a receptive stage when our bodies and minds desire to become pregnant, but if we fail that moment and do not conceive within it, we lose our only chance to have a family"

Hinata was once amazed by the strangeness and diversity of the galaxy but knowing that there was more to this story remained silent.

"A hundred years ago, I was in love with another Treelian, Dan was his name. He wasn't particularly talented as an officer neither he had any special traits, but I still fell in love with him because of his ideals. We Treelians have been stalwart defenders of the federation since we were saved by humanity in our darkest hour and to honor that deed most of us work to further the Federation's goals. Dan was the most dedicated and decided Treelian on his desire to one day become Armies Magister and hopefully lead the Federation to a grand golden age when even the Uchiha would be reinserted. But fate always has been cruel to my kind, and Dan fell in battle when defending a caravan of Uchiha Pact deserters leaving their territory. I had been in my receptive stage when that happened and so I missed my chance to have a family" continued Tsunade while looking like a statue old as her years implied.

"After that many of my species gave me their condolences for my enormous loss and invited me to go back to the home world where a life of ever lasting peace and serenity would be given to me. But I refused, I would live on to take Dan's ideals as my own and hopefully inspire legions of men and women to follow his example, that way maybe Dan and I may still have that large family we once dreamed off"

"But even that proved very hard, Jiraiya and Orochimaru's work as Justicars uncovered thousands of traitors and spies, vast criminal organizations sanctioned by top leaders of the Federation and planetary governments, my own mentor had secretly ordered several questionable actions to keep the Federation up and running. At that time I wondered if Dan's ideals could be preserved at all, I ended up questioning if probably those ideals were just naïve. But as many times before, Jiraiya came to my rescue when I needed it the most"

"Jiraiya had always been in love with me though he never got my attention. Still he never gave up and always tried to be with me, thinking back on it he never left me alone and always popped up during hard times. Thirty nine years ago he came to me alongside a young boy wearing the first year cadet uniform of our military institutions. Such institutes take orphans and educate them in as many areas as possible and offer them a career at graduation to earn citizenship status. Anyway Jiraiya told me he had decided to adopt the boy and asked me to meet him"

"That boy's name was Minato Namikaze, the orphaned son of a human colonel, and he had decided to sign himself up for service at just six years old. Back at the time I had been contemplating retirement and just disappear among the countless crowds of the Federation. But when I met the boy, he told me of his ideals for the future and those of his father, who amazingly had served once with my Dan. His ideal were the same as my Dan's, the will of my beloved had survived and passed on to a new generation. I loved the child from that moment on and promised to never doubt Dan's ideals again. After that I asked Jiraiya to become the child's mother but to do that I had to marry him"

Hinata was on the verge of tears over such a sad story with a happy ending, and she remembered that name as the skilled Admiral who managed to establish peaceful relationships with the Feranians. Probably that man and Naruto's mother fell in love with each other and conceived him in secret.

Tsunade smiled at the old memories and proceeded "After that I enjoyed one of my happiest moments in life and eventually acknowledged Jiraiya as my husband though we keep it very discreet. Minato proved himself to be the most talented student, and eventually officer of our fleet. He received his Admiral rank at age twenty when he led a group of frigates to destroy an Uchiha incursion with several battle cruisers and dreadnaughts. He also was a brilliant engineer and contributed much to the fleet's advanced weaponry and technologies. And imagine everyone's surprise when he managed to befriend the Feranians. He always achieved the impossible, inspired millions, and was well on his way to rightfully take my place as Magister"

Hinata noticed the sudden change in Tsunade as a bitter memory came back to her face

"Minato had entered talks with the Feranians to help them further their integration into the Federation, and part of this was the testing of mutual technologies. Minato applied some of the Feranian technologies unto his own dreadnaught and during a drill for new transportation ways, his ship vanished from known space never to be seen or heard of for almost 23 years now"

"Once again I found myself lost but that didn't last long. The Kyuubi Battle fleet entered Federation space and so I went with my entire fleet to meet them. The sight of their fleet is one of the most terrifying ones I have ever seen but Kushina Uzumaki was by far more terrible to deal with. She was furious at Minato for disappearing on her just like that, especially after getting her pregnant!"

Tsunade grinned at the memory and continued "Kushina had chosen Minato to father her first children and he wouldn't be there to raise them. I was utterly confused at the moment; I didn't know Feranians could have children with other species without genetic manipulation. Minato having an affair with the presumably most powerful woman in the galaxy, and Kushina not grieving his loss"

"Kushina told me that Minato wasn't dead just lost in a random part of the galaxy, where? She couldn't know and how long it would take him to return? Was also a question without an answer. After hearing that all hope returned to me and when Naruto was born I knew things would be alright somehow"

"I still wait for Minato to return, and I know he will. As for Naruto, Kushina decided that his child should also get to know his father's world since according to her words; Naruto is different from the regular Feranians, and perhaps he may give them a better future"

Hinata was now completely lost in the tale as many questions started to surface within her but seeing the solemnity of Tsunade decided to look for answers at another time.

Tsunade finished smiling and finally looking straight into Hinata she started talking in another tone.

"I tell you all this so you may understand just how important is Naruto for a lot of people, and how important is your duty by his side. As Magister I ask you to honor all you vows and as a grandmother to protect him. He may be invincible in so many aspects but his mother warned me about the inner Feranian spirits which rage within each of their species. Don't ever let the light leave his eyes Hinata"

Hinata didn't have words so she could only bow her head accepting this monumental responsibility.

Tsunade acknowledged her acceptance and while rising mentioned "It is also obvious that all I have told you is considered a state secret punishable by death. Especially the part of me being married to Jiraiya!"

Hinata smiled at that and just replied a short "Sure!"

"By the way your excellence, is everyone out there aware of this?" asked Hinata as she made way for Tsunade to pass through

"Everyone but Lee, is not like we don't trust him but he tends to overreact to such tales" said Tsunade.

"Naruto is very lucky" muttered Hinata hoping not to be listened

"He is" thought Tsunade.

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"Hysperian worlds? You will send me to that dumpster? I am certain my unique skills will be better used somewhere else. Like the Aurora moons or the Azlean systems!" wined a quite disappointed Naruto

"Don't complain Naruto! I got the Saimon fleet! Thousands of male pilgrims on their hundred year trip. No girls at all on the fleet! Please Jiraiya spare me this torment!" asked a pleading Sakura while trying to entice the perverted admiral to reconsider her mission.

Jiraiya almost fell for that but remembering those two previous assignments remained decided.

"Enough! Naruto you have a retinue now so a different kind of mission is appropriate for you now, you will simply confirm if the factory masters on the Hysperian worlds are manufacturing small arms for the Soundya systems, it shouldn't be too complicated and hopefully you won't end up blowing one of those world's furnaces" said almost screaming Jiraiya to Naruto.

Turning to Sakura "And you! You usually perform flawless missions but seducing the heir of the Syan trade guild wasn't part of your mission! Escorting the Saimon fleet in their last days of journey may be a good cool off for you young lady!"

Both Justicars sighed knowing their doom was already decided and saluted Jiraiya while taking their mission files.

Having being done with formalities both males turned to Sakura and in unison asked "So, how was the heir?" with perverted grins as Sakura's own triumphant smile shone like the sun.

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The entire group was assembled to leave on that very night since everyone had important business to attend to. Sakura had agreed to take Naruto and Hinata on board her own Hercian strike frigate and drop them on the Phalanx station to pick up Naruto's stuff and help him get a gunship to continue his journey.

As the group was leaving for the Keep's docking bays an ever watchful came running at Naruto and saluting quickly relied a message. "Justicar Uzumaki, a member of the Technological Magistrate whishes to have a brief meeting with you, here at the Keep"

Naruto was confused about the rather unique request; usually the Techs never left their grounds and always requested their acquaintances to visit them. "Who is this member?" asked Naruto while the rest also wondered about the strange request.

"She identified herself as First Class Tech Ten-Ten; she also said she had a delivery for you!" replied the Ever Watchful.

At that moment the speakers at the docking bay came to life "Attention all personnel, clear docking bay main landing zone. Tech ship arriving at 20"

As the group went back to a secure area, the roar of the approaching vessel drowned all other sound around. I sounded like no other engines any one here ever heard but it indicated the sheer power of those thrusters.

Swiftly a giant shadow entered the docking bay and gracefully gravitated to land softly on its three landing plates.

When lights managed to better define the heavy size gunship object, Naruto couldn't help to sport a huge grin and jumping over the blast shields he went running towards the cooling ship as it killed power and released heat. The others waited until clear lights indicated the safety of the landing bay.

Naruto was admiring the vessel with the same eyes he made when he first saw how Ramen was prepared. Ten-Ten had delivered a Thunderhawk look like vessel for Naruto. It was at least twenty five percent larger than the original models but still it looked agile and powerful. Unlike the originals though it had all its weaponry cleverly hidden as to make it look like a custom built vessel.

Its design wasn't Spartan but more stylized with smooth curves and a very intimidating black painting with a few golden lines here and there.

On the side door there was a small painting of a rampant golden fox with nine tails rising behind (Like a Medieval code of arms).

The door opened and a white green blur stroke Naruto taking him to the ground.

"You are the best! The very best of friends any girl could ask for! I don't know how you got me access to the Forges but thank you! Magister Theron expects to see more of my Feranian inspired works in the future!" screamed and squealed a very grateful Ten-Ten as she landed a barrage of kisses on Naruto's face; though none of them landed on his lips.

The group got near to them, both admiring the new vessel and trying to not laugh at the affection display in front of them. Sakura on her side was biting her thumb and mumbling "Lucky bastard" as she envied Naruto being under Ten-Ten.

Ten-Ten finally realized she was being watched and in a jump was back to her feet as two personal defense drones with panda faces, stood floating at her side. She just smiled and bowed lightly at the presence of the two distinguished members of the government hierarchy. As member of a different Magistrate she wasn't obliged to properly salute authorities from another Magistrate but a modicum of respect and consideration was required in favor of continued government cooperation.

Hinata helped up a very happy but dazed Naruto to her feet as Tsunade took a long look to his grandson's new vessel. "Looks a lot like those Feranian gunships" said absently as she ran her fingers over the hull. She couldn't help to smile at the great friends Naruto have made throughout the years.

"Is this really mine? You know my reputation with vessels" Said Naruto looking a bit embarrassed at perhaps the best gift he had received in all his life.

"Sure it is! This ship is as tough as you are! You can crash this thing against a meteor and it will come through barely scratched! This vessel is probably even tougher than the originals. So take it with you and kick ass!" said a very satisfied Ten-Ten.

"Wow, Thank you so much Ten-Ten, this is great I don't know how to repay you for this" replied a blushing Naruto.

"Don't worry Naruto, this is the least I can do for you. You helped me get a chance to prove myself before others; it is me who should thank you for this opportunity, from now on you can ask me for anything!" said Ten-Ten as she gratefully hugged him.

Ten-Ten released Naruto from the hug before he got smart and walked towards Hinata. She immediately circled the taller girl and with a snap of her fingers the two drones casted scanning lights over Hinata.

Hinata was a bit alarmed over the smaller technician's actions but remained still, after all, like the technicians she met before; Ten-Ten never asked permission to carry out her work, even at the expense of others.

Ten-Ten checked some numbers on a wrist slate and dismissively said "I will have your gear sent to you in about a week so be certain to send me feedback after you test it"

"Gear?" asked a puzzled Hinata.

"Yeah, you will be Naruto's retinue so I am making stuff for you as well. Don't worry I already have your files so I know what kind of gear will accommodate you better" said Ten-Ten as she finished entering data on her slate.

Jiraiya strode forward and casting a glance to Naruto said "It sure is big for only two people don't you think?"

Naruto cocked his head not understanding the implied message and just replied "More space for my stuff then!"

"Naruto, Inside the ship you will find your stuff. I took the freedom to requisition Shadow Clone. Also your quarters have sound dampeners for when you get lucky!" said Ten-Ten while everyone seemed a bit uncomfortable with the images implied.

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"It seems like is farewell for now" said Naruto as everyone had fallen to silence.

Everyone nodded and so proceeded to give each other a warm good bye. Ten-Ten gave Naruto a good bye kiss and a hug. She wished good luck to Hinata and asked to keep her eyes open for Naruto.

Tsunade and Jiraiya gave Naruto each their own hugs and wished him a good hunting. Both also gave their best wishes to Hinata on her first assignment and asked to fill in for Naruto's short comings.

Lee gave his youthful blessing to everyone and with a long jump boarded the smaller Hercian drop ship while giving his nice guy pose and dashing smile.

Naruto and Sakura shared a long intimate hug and before they parted she mumbled something to his ear which made him blush in return. With a small peck she hurried over to Hinata and almost whispering said "Despite our rough beginnings I only want to ask this from you. Promise me you will look out after him; he is a knuckle head and quite a moron but I love him with all my heart. Look out for him as much as I am certain he will look out for you"

Hinata was a bit surprised with this fragile pleading Sakura but such honesty only remarked how serious was her request "I promise. I owe him and all of you a lot, this is the least I can do" replied serenely, trying to reassure the troubled Sakura.

Recovering her confident look Sakura leaned closer and whispered to Hinata "And I don't mind sharing if you fall in love with him"

Hinata went crimson as Sakura left out a playful laugh and winking turned around running to her ship.

"Hinata! Hurry up! I want to try this baby right away!" screamed Naruto from the side door of the vessel.

Hinata bowed one last time as she hurried into the ship after Naruto.

The sensual voice of the onboard navigating computer required "Justicar Uzumaki, please baptize the vessel"

Naruto got meditative for a moment and replied "This vessel's name will be the Daring Fox!"

"Acknowledged, The Daring Fox is ready for takeoff. Shall I plot a course?" asked the computer.

"To the Hysperian Worlds; Hysperia Majoris is our destination. Set autopilot and take us off" said Naruto while he and Hinata moved to the window and saw Tsunade standing by Jiraiya as both saw Naruto's vessel leaving for a new adventure.

**AN: Done!**

**I find way easier to write this story the only problem though is that, since I began this story to distract me from my main project and not lose interest, I have little idea on how to continue developing it. Basically I don't have any idea where I want to go. There is the NaruHina thing and the adventures but beyond that is a little fuzzy.**

**That doesn't mean I will stop writing the story but unless you want and endless line of adventures similar to several space sci-fi series I would like to receive SERIOUS ideas on what could be a good development. This is a huge AU with tons of freedom to think of anything so give it a try if only for fun.**

**The thing I enjoy the most about this story is how it pushes my creativity, especially about the species, names, places and customs.**

**Also remember Feranian ships and vehicles are all based on those found in the Warhammer 40k universe, so if you are interested check them out for reference regarding my story.**

**Anyway hope you enjoy the chapter though is shorter than my usual rendering.**

**Read, enjoy and review.**


	8. Welcome to Hysperia

**Chapter 8: Welcome to Hysperia**

Naruto has always prided himself for being able to overcome any challenge life has thrown in his way; nonetheless some tasks were beyond his Feranian wit and prowess. Naruto always crashed his former vessels due to a combination of high risk missions and his poor understanding of their proper care and handling, which was one of the reasons he relied so much on his onboard navigation computer Anveena to do most of the work and help him handle whatever vessel he step onto. His former vessel, Shadow Clone, was a sturdy and rather simple old Federation gunship which proved to be more of his taste.

Now before him in the cockpit of the Daring Fox a wide array of screens, consoles, controls and readings made Naruto cringe with fear of pressing the wrong control or touching the wrong screen. Anveena had been upgraded but there was so much and Navigational computer could do and Hinata though a quick learner was in a very similar position to Naruto given her humble origins.

"Anveena, display the manual please" said Hinata to what a dozen screens displayed the different quirks and characteristics of the rather advanced ship.

Sighing Naruto and Hinata ordered Anveena to close all screens and just leave the basic navigation instruments and leave the rest for the autopilot.

"Ten-Ten should have remembered I am no good with complex technology" whined Naruto as he relaxed on his chair.

Hinata also feeling a bit useless during her first mission replied in a similar tone "I find this technology too strange. I always crashed in the simulator, even on beginners' level"

Both sighed again and after a brief silence shared a light laughter.

"Maybe we should get a pilot" said Naruto thinking aloud, not being used to have company around.

Hinata though, was pleased to hear him say that. Naruto must have felt lonely many times during his solo missions. Now that he had reliable company the thought of having more comrades seemed less scary for him. She smiled for Naruto and the already positive influence she may be permeating on him.

Both continued to enjoy the silent hum of the ship as it traversed the hyper space along with the color display entering through the cockpit windows. The quiet though didn't last long when Naruto's stomach made his loud introduction.

Hinata laughed lightly as she made her way to the small dinner area of the vessel where provisions should be stacked, but to her surprise all she could find where bottles of water, milk cartons and industrial amounts of instant ramen.

"Huh, Naruto? Are these our provisions? Shouldn't we have other things to eat besides instant food?" asked a slightly irritated Hinata.

"Yeah! Ramen is the most absolute delicious delicacy given to the Feranians! Comes in several different combinations, has all sorts of ingredients and the best of all it takes no time to cook! Honestly I can't conceive how Feranians lived before Ramen!" said Naruto with fire in his eyes.

Hinata seeing she wouldn't have a civil conversation with Naruto about food just replied "It's ok for a quick meal but I would like to cook other things. If I recall you enjoyed them last time we had lunch together. Let's get varied provisions on Hysperia and I will make us some fine meals I have been wanting to try.

Naruto pouted a bit for not being able to get Ramen everyday but he did enjoyed those lunches with Hinata back in Augya.

As they both went their separate ways on board the vessel to explore it more thoroughly, Anveena signaled both to be aware that the ship was entering the Hysperian World's space. Both quickly went back to the cockpit and strapped themselves on their seats as the ship re entered normal space.

Naruto quickly got hold of the ships basic controls and quickly placed the Daring Fox dangerously close to the thrusters of an incredibly large cargo ship.

Hinata was bit surprised over the harsh maneuvering but knowing Naruto had more experience didn't ask. Nonetheless Naruto knew that perhaps Hinata was confused over his tactic so he just said "The energy debris of the cargo thrusters will cloak our signal as we approach the planetary check points. Once we clear them, we dive for the planet's atmosphere and we fly low until we reach the old docks of the Factory hives on the planet. That way no one will know we are on the planet so they keep their guard low"

Hinata made an awed expression; no lesson on the training program taught her this kind of tactics. Kurenai had mentioned that Justicar often made their presence known while a dedicated team of retinue made the undercover work while all sights were on the Justicar. Naruto though, was alone so insertion and everything else was performed by him.

The Daring Fox continued to cloak itself on the energy debris left behind by the massive freighter as they slowly passed the check points. Finally after two hours of tense slow flight the planet was within sight.

The sight left Hinata a bit surprised, unlike Terra Hysperia Majoris had a thick layer of smog covering the surface. Nonetheless the lights of the Factory hives were strong enough to outline the massive structures doting the planet with several concentric rings of lights and buildings connected by long lines of lights which probably were transit tunnels.

Outside the window Hinata saw hundreds of cargo freighters and smaller ships flying around in a nightmare of metal and thrust fire. Naruto though didn't pay much attention and being cleared of the checkpoints pushed the Daring Fox from behind the larger vessel making a straight line to the planet's surface.

Hinata quickly secured herself to the seat remembering the knowledge of how bumpy a high speed atmospheric insertion could be. In moments the dark space was replaced by lines of furious fire as the ship began to grace the atmosphere in its high velocity entry. Hinata clenched her teeth shut trying to suppress the panic that was rising from this very new experience. Risking a glance to Naruto, he was the complete opposite. His hands were tightly grabbing the controls and his eyes were focused n the flames in front of him, he stared at them as if he could see something others couldn't.

The ship finally stopped shaking and the fire on the windows was over now casting a low orange glow through them.

Hinata finally managed to open her mouth and asked "Aren't atmospheric insertions dangerous? This ship must have inertial dampeners and speed regulators, we could have burned out back there. Don't you think?"

Naruto reeled back from his extremely focused state and setting a course turned to Hinata "Well ships are way sturdier than ship builders like to admit. And that kind of insertion was to fool anyone tracking falling debris. Up there is a never ending line of ships so sometimes they crash and the debris fall to the planet. Using that to my advantage we crossed and quickly fell below the sensors notice. Not to mention, is always very exiting!"

Hinata sighed acknowledging the wide gap of experience she and Naruto had. He has been doing this kind of things for years. She better shut up and learn quickly.

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The Daring Fox had been navigating through abandoned sections of ancient factories until the first hive came into view. Naruto diverted the vessel from the main route and instead went around the hive and into smaller adjacent structures were small vessels were landing and lifting.

"That's our destination. Those landing docks are not supervised by the planetary security forces since they are in non profitable areas of the hives. Those areas are usually run by small time crime lords who usually extort the locals and deal with smuggling of every kind. The docks themselves are free to use but to guarantee our ship's safety we have to give a tribute to the local lord" said Naruto as he was changing clothes cleverly hiding his gauntlet and a light combat armor beneath a black jacket with cargo pants, heavy boots with metal plates, biker gloves and a plain white shirt.

Hinata had prepared her wardrobe with a varied assortment of clothes as to be able to blend in any kind of situation. She chose for the mission a similar outfit to Naruto except her boots didn't had any plating and her shirt was lavender and tight fitting. She also procured herself with light security armor just in case they got in unexpected trouble.

As the main door opened a current of stagnant air stroke both hard making Hinata feel dizzy for a moment not being used to the polluted environments of other planets.

"Sorry for that, should have warned you about it. The air recyclers of the older factories are long overdue and their air recycling quality is poor at best" said Naruto as he gave her a small re-breather device that can be quickly worn and not interfere with sight or movement.

"The air recyclers tend to fail from time to time so that thing may come in handy" finished saying as he walked ahead.

"Don't you need one too?" asked Hinata with a bit of concern

"Nah, as long as there is some oxygen around I can breathe without trouble. I can also hold my breath for an hour if I have to. The re-breather device is to filter poison or too much carbon dioxide" said Naruto casually.

Hinata quickly started walking behind amazed by his words. Feranians were truly a resilient species as if to walk undaunted by less than enjoyable conditions.

"Why is this factory world so…wrecked?" wondered Hinata as they both walked the connecting tunnel from the dock into the hive.

"These planets never had indigenous life nor could sustain any, so there are no environmental issues to consider when establishing factories. The hives actually are different layers of factories being constructed across the centuries. These places hire anyone willing to work for long seasons but since there were no families or average social structures to begin with. Anarchy quickly took hold of the more neglected areas where the workers community made their living. Eventually criminals and smugglers found very profitable businesses to be conducted here as providers for this varied assortment of species. The planet has a council of Factory Masters which are very ruthless business men who are easily bribed to look the other way" said Naruto while looking through the stained windows out into the planet's surface.

"Why does the Federation allow this to happen? Shouldn't they exercise more control on worlds like this?" asked Hinata

"Ideally yes they should. But since these planets conduct a large part of the federation's industrial output, they look the other way as long as they don't dabble in seriously destabilizing activities. Manufacturing small arms for the Soundya Systems would be one of such activities" finished saying Naruto.

Hinata remembered that teaching Naruto about the grey in moral situations was extremely hard. That Naruto acknowledge the sad reality of these worlds was probably a great achievement in his education. Still she grimaced at the thought of how Kurenai finally made it through him.

As they continued walking down the connecting tunnels, a small fat bearded man approached them with a huge yellow and probably stinking grin.

"Greetings good travelers! I am dock master Toni. I see you have graced my docks with your rather unique vessel…" spoke the little man as he was cut short by an annoyed looking Naruto when he threw a bag full of some hard metals unto the little man's stomach.

"And you won't see it or any other if I see as much as a scratch on it! There is your payment, more than enough for a month of docking" said Naruto with a startlingly aggressive tone.

The little man was certainly insulted but the towering form of Naruto quickly changed his expression as he fumbled with the bag to see its contents. The man's grin returned to his face when he saw the small treasure inside.

Closing the bag and concealing it quickly from other's looks he bowed and made way for the wealthy visitors as he escorted them further into the slums of the Factory hive.

Hinata meanwhile couldn't help but wonder what was the great prize Naruto paid to the little man as to have he as a good animal looking for further reward?

The little man spoke again with much respect "And to what business do we host such a kind investor?" finished while fondly patting the small bag.

"Guess you can help me on this. I am basically looking for a good business opportunity and these worlds always have stuff going on" said Naruto while looking around.

The little man's grin disappeared and a troubled look came to his face, stuttering he continued "Well the grounds have been quiet lately since the shift in the council of masters so every entrepreneur has been laying low" said the squat man.

Naruto turned to look at him with a grin of his own "Saw what was in that bag? Do you imagine the kind of things I did to secure such amount? I have much more of it and a good chunk will be yours if you help me get a good contact"

Toni looked around nervously but placing a firm hand on the bag replied "I will have any info relied to your vessel, master. The nearby area is relatively safe but for a few gangs, stepping further into the Levels would signify more risk for you and your companion. Though it seems you pose a greater risk than most. Please enjoy your stay and be sure to tell me if such a generous patron needs anything"

With this Toni doubled back and disappeared behind a door.

Hinata approached Naruto and commented "That was easy. Now we wait until we hear from him and we can set to see if anyone is truly smuggling small arms"

Naruto looked at her a bit surprised and replied "Well that was actually to give word that someone is cocky enough as to presume himself fit for the job of smuggling weapons. That in turn will make the appropriate parties to take notice of us and the vessel. Judging us from afar they will determine to keep us out, kill us or contact us for the job. It will be a gamble to see if things will go smoothly or not, but don't worry one way or another I'll get them!"

Hinata once more belittled herself for thinking things were so simple, on another note she had underestimated Naruto's skill as a Justicar, he did knew how to go through this stuff. Still she was worried about his last statement of getting the job done one way or another, something told her he was used to things not going smoothly.

"So what do we do now? You think it will take time?" asked Hinata as she looked around for any suspicious glances casted towards her.

"It will take the time it needs, that's why I paid one month of dock rights beforehand. On the mean time we go about playing our roles as a couple of rogue spacers looking for profit to be made with any kind of business" replied Naruto as he started walking into the slums Toni just warned them about.

Hinata made an awe expression and quickly fell in step next to Naruto "And how did you got the payment for Toni? Last time you mentioned it you didn't had much money with you"

Naruto got very nervous and scratching the back of his head replied "Not having the money doesn't mean I don't have any kind of wealth Hinata. People in these places don't have any real need for Federation's currency less they leave the planet. Here in these Factory worlds, having sufficient spare parts is enough wealth and currency for them, the ones I gave to Toni are particularly popular, hard to come by and very valuable"

Hinata again was awed by Naruto's street knowledge but another question came up "And where did you acquire such parts?"

By this point Naruto was already ahead browsing stuff from a street vendor while casting nervous glances at Hinata.

Hinata knew that Naruto was hiding something potentially illegal about his activities and a dozen related felonies jumped into her mind, but remembering her job she wouldn't question what actions needed to be made.

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Naruto and Hinata continued to explore the lower levels of the old hive as to try and ascertain the "climate" regarding any suspicious activity. Smuggling was a traditionally common crime among the Factory worlds since a lot of old abandoned assembly lines could be easily repaired and re purposed to manufacture some low quality goods or counterfeits. Usually such activities helped to keep some flow of wealth to the poor and desperate of such worlds from rioting and destroying the higher levels. Thus it was allowed with occasional raids to keep face before higher authorities.

Still when weapons of any kind were involved it begged further probing from authorities since weaponry for space or terrestrial combat required more advanced technology, experienced labor, and important people looking the other way. And that kind of activities beg for the subtle touch of a Justicar to ensure the galactic community that the Federation is ever watchful.

"If smuggling and counterfeiting are more or less allowed felonies to occur, why we are so interested in small arms?" asked Hinata as she and Naruto kept exploring.

"Basically because the weapons made in these worlds can be confused with ones being manufactured in a species home world or to arm separatist militias in some other worlds. Since the Uchiha Pact formation the Federation has been extraordinarily watchful of weapon flows across its territories, especially places like the Soundya systems" replied Naruto.

Hinata recalled her implanted memories and remembered that the Soundya systems were a small but wealthy cluster of worlds placed right in the border of both the Uchiha Pact and the Enterran Federation. Many times on the past 300 years both factions have clashed among these worlds having the Federation as the last victor when Admiral Namikaze destroyed the Uchiha incursion.

Still the people in these worlds have grown to dislike both factions and have requested several times for their independence recognition. But lacking numbers, a great Factory world and a sizable fleet makes that dream impossible to achieve and thus leaves the people of Soundya open to be swayed by both rival factions.

"Those weapons could be being directed to a particular group attempting to undermine the Federation's already weak mandate over Soundya. A revolt and subsequent loss of Soundya to the Uchiha would seriously piss off Granny Tsunade!" finished Naruto.

"Not to mention if the Factory masters of this planet are behind it, it probably means that the Uchiha's reach within the Federation may be long" concluded Hinata.

"Now you are getting the hang of it!" exclaimed a smiling Naruto to a proud Hinata as they both entered a crowded bar in the lower slums.

Within the bar some patrons took notice of the tough looking Naruto and scuffed at his sight, still many eyes remained firmly glued to Hinata's sweet body. Hinata noticing the many stares her new body attracted felt somewhat bothered, but managed to keep her composure. As to ease the stares Naruto placed his hand on her hip and quickly moved her to one of the tables.

As Hinata went crimson over his bold touch Naruto quickly whispered "Sorry, but with this no one will bother you less they want to have their butts kicked"

Hinata nodded her approval and sat with Naruto noticing how the once lingering eyes busied themselves in their drinks.

As the skimpily dressed waitress serve them their drinks, both Naruto and Hinata had fallen silent not having much to talk about at the moment as, literally they waited for the "test" to begin. Hinata decided to start a conversation and distract Naruto from the giggling waitresses casting looks in his direction.

"So, have you done jobs like this before?" asked Hinata as she tried to drink the awful thing she had been served.

Taking a full swig of the glass Naruto answered "Well, not exactly like this. It usually was to stop an envoy of weapons headed there already. Like what I did with Tayuya when we met. I am not trusted with covert operations since at some point guns start blazing and I am right in the middle of it. This time though all we have to do is confirm or deny that the Factory masters are manufacturing and smuggling weapons. An in and out kind of mission, no violence is expected"

"Have you ever tried this sort of missions before?" asked a rather nervous Hinata.

"Once, with that Shikamaru fella from your bout with Sakura, he was investigating anomalies regarding the smuggling of Auracyte, an extremely valuable mineral used in cutting edge power plants or Dreadnaught generators. The mission was to establish if the company designated by the Federation was diverting Auracyte cargos to unstable systems, greedy trade guilds or foreign powers" said Naruto.

"Shikamaru requested my help to serve as back up and to infiltrate the mining facilities in the asteroid belt from where Auracyte is extracted, while he conducted a formal thorough investigation on behalf of the Federation. Plan A was that the company would slip up and Shikamaru would catch them on their own lies or covering attempts, plan B was for me to go directly to the source of the Auracyte and look for any odd activities" continued Naruto as he took another glass of beverage.

"As I conducted my very boring surveillance, I noticed how small drones took part of the Auracyte in the regular transports and moved in a different direction to that of the mining station. The drones were taking small amounts of Auracyte and taking them further into the asteroid field. It was hell to follow them without crashing into a few asteroids, but Shadow Clone held together. After an hour of silent trailing the drones came to wide area with no asteroids and perhaps the largest freighter I have ever seen. The drones were slowly filling the freighter's cargo hold with pure Auracyte, a single trip from that Freighter could easily fill the Auracyte demands for ten worlds or a hundred Dreadnaughts. Whoever did that could have expected to become rich in a single day" finished saying Naruto.

Hinata was deeply interested by the story and encouraged Naruto to further tell his story.

Scratching his head Naruto proceeded "Seeing this development I could finish Shikamaru's investigation in a second but Anveena told me that her passive scanning had revealed the ship's cargo hold to be full and its engines were powering to move out of the sector. I didn't had much time to think and the next thing I was storming the vessel to stop it"

Hinata nodded furiously while prompting Naruto to conclude his story to which Naruto nodded a bit embarrassed.

"The vessel was largely automated so it had few crewmates, making it possible for me to fully commandeer the ship by taking the bridge. I quickly overcame the crew and the local security measures against intrusion but the bridge had been shut tightly with a reinforced gate which would prove dangerous to blow away. So I decided to shut down the ship's core and force the vessel to remain in place with auxiliary power. I made my way to the core but never being good handling technology instead of turning it off I ended up overloading it. Me and the crew managed to abandon the vessel and put a safe distance before the ship exploded with a mountain of wealth on board which burned brightly as a supernova. The explosion sent a lot of debris that destroyed several automated mining facilities and delayed legal Auracyte deliveries"

Hinata made an uncomfortable "oh" and went back to her drink despite its terrible taste.

Trying to save face Naruto concluded "But not all was a loss! The investigation concluded the company's corruption and the shockwave of the explosion made a lot of high diplomats and traders fall to subsequent investigations as they scurried to salvage their losses! In a way that explosion was for the best as the Federation now closely monitors the Auracyte deposits!"

Hinata smiled kindly but then again Naruto finished his job with a bang, which was her duty to stop from happening. Going from surveillance to boarding ships was a bit extreme for her taste. She only hoped this mission wouldn't end in a similar way.

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After several hours of drinking and spending time at the bar, Naruto decided that things were moving slowly and so he called it a day. Naruto also pointed to Hinata to "toughen" her look since he had to warn several male patrons attempting to invite Hinata for drinks.

Hinata attempted to get a scarier look to her face but the best she managed was a cute comical scowl which made Naruto roar with laughter in the now emptied halls of the ancient hive. Hinata huffed her embarrassment and made a point to look for tips to get a more threatening look. She would send a letter to Anko!

As they were returning to the ship, Hinata heard a low melodious sound coming from a side hall. Such sound was the first nice thing she experienced since arriving to Hysperia Majoris and it was luring her slowly guiding her steps as she blindly followed the sound.

Not knowing how long she had been walking lost in the music's spell Hinata finally arrived to the origin of the music. Slumped on the floor with a long brown cloak covering its body a lone flutist played away as if not noticing Hinata's presence.

Hinata's eyes noticed the few blood red strands of hair falling from the opening in the cloak where a long silver like flute with several carvings and rare curves sprouted sideways and long slender fingers played on it. Hinata had a vague feeling of seeing the color of such hair somewhere else but the music was slowly fading away her thoughts and all that remained was the sweet melody which invited her to seat and listen forever.

At some point Hinata regained her senses when she noticed how Naruto was wrestling with the cloaked figure while screaming something at her. She blinked several times as the sound started to make sense once more.

"Hinata! Wake up!" screamed Naruto while trying to get a hold of the cloaked figure.

Hinata rose to her feet when the stranger tore off the cloak making Naruto stumble backwards. The person was the furious looking redhead known as Tayuya whose eyes were spurting fire.

Hinata saw how Tayuya raised her flute to her mouth and remembering her previous experience she lunged at her slapping the instrument from her mouth. Tayuya was a bit surprised of having her instrument taken away and in a spite of fury threw a punch at Hinata who evaded it gracefully clasping her hand and tripping her to the ground where she immobilized her with a holding move.

Naruto finally took the cloak off him and hurriedly returned to the fight only to find a cursing Tayuya completely subdued by a serious looking Hinata. Naruto picked up the flute and gave Hinata a small piece of line to bind Tayuya's hands.

Hinata took Tayuya back to her feet while Naruto approached Tayuya with a playful smile on his face "Oh Tayu-chan, such a bad girl and here I thought we parted as good "friends" why do you fell back to such low tricks like using Thornian sensorial music?"

Tayuya blinked recognizing the person speaking so casually to her. Once she recognized the sly man who had stolen her first kiss she went red of both fury and embarrassment and tried to bite his head off.

Hinata managed to restrain Tayuya but couldn't help to be suspicious of Tayuya's red face as she tried to attack Naruto.

"Uzumaki you bastard! Don't tell me you followed me all the way here just to get back at me for outwitting you on Augya?" spat Tayuya with a grin as she tried to infuriate Naruto.

"You didn't outwit me! if I recall I shot you down and captured you!" responded an obviously insulted Naruto.

"You barely caught up with me! I am the one who should be ashamed of being caught by such a lousy pilot!" screamed Tayuya back at Naruto.

"You fell first!" responded and indignant Naruto.

"I was piloting a modified old light cargo ship, you were piloting an old federation gunship; those don't fall unless completely smashed! You are a lousy pilot while I managed to bring down a mighty Justicar!" said a proud smug looking Tayuya.

Naruto wanted to respond but was beat. Hinata on her side considered Tayuya's words and she really was impressed by her pilot skills, even if she was a criminal.

"Anyway, what the hell are you doing on Hysperia? Getting back in trouble?" said Naruto trying to save face before his brand new aide.

"I am stranded! And it's your entire fault! When I lost that cargo the thugs who hired me took my ship and any possession I had as compensation for the bust! I managed to get back my flute and some clothes and I have been trying to leave this heap of rusted metal for almost a month!" screamed Tayuya while remembering the bitter memories.

"And using Thornian tricks is your "honest" way of getting off planet?" said Naruto.

"I tried but the only jobs available for a young lady like me implicates wearing very little clothing or having to remove it afterwards" said a red Tayuya "You can't blame me! I was desperate!" finished while a couple of tears threatened to leave her chocolate eyes.

Hinata couldn't help but sympathize with Tayuya, she had seen the working girls of Hysperia and she rather starves than wearing such garments.

Naruto grinned imagining Tayuya in such garments but something clicked in his head "Wait! The thugs who hired you are on this planet? Where? How do I contact them? Who are they?" said Naruto in full seriousness placing his face uncomfortably close to Tayuya's.

Tayuya went red with such closeness and for a moment remembered the passionate kiss he stole from her while his hot breath washed on her. But a second later she reared her head back and gave a powerful head butt to Naruto.

"What the hell?" screamed Naruto while holding his face.

Hinata slammed Tayuya against a wall and hardened her grip on Tayuya to further immobilize her.

Tayuya grinned and replied "You owed me that one! And if you want my help I want a few favors in return"

**AN: DONE!**

**Hello everyone, just finished a new installment on which I have been working for almost three weeks. I expected to end it way sooner but work has been a bitch lately and so I was delayed greatly. But I managed to pull through, and on my birthday nonetheless!**

**I broke my rule of one chapter at a time but this story is so much easier to write than my main project since it started on a whim and I feel more relaxed writing it.**

**I don't think I will be able to upgrade any of my stories before Christmas or new year so in case I don't see you people. Merry Christmas and a happy prosperous new year may you and your loved ones stay well and in good health!**

**Read, enjoy and review!**


	9. Uzumaki Style

**Chapter 9: Uzumaki Style**

"Ahhhh! A Shower! A Real Shower! I can die now!" screamed a very relieved Tayuya as she bathed herself for the third time.

Naruto and Hinata had brought Tayuya on board the Daring Fox in order to have her cooperation with the investigation. Though the only thing she has been doing was taking showers and devouring every sweet snack on board.

"Is this alright Naruto? I mean, I understand she had a rough time on this planet but, isn't she abusing?" said a somewhat annoyed Hinata as she helplessly saw her sweets disappear in Tayuya's maw.

"Ha ha, let her enjoy herself. It's not like someone like her gets pampered too often" replied Naruto while he read the Hysperian news network trying to figure things out like Shikamaru always managed to do, but so far the most interesting article was about the Miss Hysperia contest which was won by a transgender off worlder.

Hinata sighed knowing that to do their job right they would have to be unorthodox most of the time. Then again she couldn't blame Tayuya for her less than fortunate living conditions in this planet.

This in turn brought up the question of why Naruto was being so familiar with this felon.

"Say Naruto from where do you know Tayuya?" said Hinata while she took a seat in front of him.

Naruto left the slate aside and smiling said "She was my very first successful assignment! So she kind of has a very special place in my heart"

Hinata also smiled at the rather comic face Naruto was making, but in all honesty this girl had to be very clumsy to actually get caught by the same guy several times. The strange thing here though was how come Tayuya was free to continue getting herself in trouble time and time again.

Before speaking she shut down since she actually remembered how Tayuya went free the last time, and so she couldn't feel but pity about Naruto's methods and Tayuya's foolishness.

Finally Tayuya stepped out of the shower wearing Hinata's bathrobe and drinking a cold sweet soda she fetched from the ships dining room.

"Who did you whacked to get this thing Uzumaki? Can't believe they gave you enough money to buy a new ship! After all the screw ups I mean!" said Tayuya as she finished the soda and threw away the recipient.

Naruto didn't get angry and instead replied "Well, good things happen to good guys, especially those who save the galaxy countless times and scores with countless…" there he shut up.

"On the other side naughty girls like you always end up like this, stranded, jobless and with little clothes on her!" said Naruto while eyeing Tayuya.

"Bah! You probably steal from each and every one of your assignments before other authorities have a word with you for the mess you always leave behind. As for this vessel you probably blackmailed someone or went running to someone's skirt and begged like a little child!" replied Tayuya.

Grinning and squinting his eyes Naruto countered one last time "And how do you know of my exploits? Don't tell me Tayu chan? Are you my admirer?"

Tayuya went red with something akin to fury and embarrassment and launched herself at Naruto but was tackled mid air by Hinata who landed on top of her.

"What are you doing you big breasted weirdo! I will kill him!" said Tayuya while glaring at Hinata.

Hinata got a bit angry over the last comment and overall by Tayuya's manners and disrespect for her things but thankfully she had noticed Naruto's eye squinting and knew that this was what he wanted.

"Miss Tayuya, the bathrobe…" whispered Hinata.

Tayuya blinked twice and looking down the bathrobe she noticed how it had opened revealing her naked body. Yelping she closed the bathrobe and nodding a quiet thanks to Hinata she glared at Naruto and yelled "You sly perverted monster!"

Naruto just replied "Aw, you are a fun crasher Hinata. Oh well I will have plenty of opportunities later!"

Turning slightly more serious Naruto waited until Tayuya changed into a clean outfit lent by Hinata which consisted in a white long sleeved shirt, a brown sleeveless jacket over it, tight black cargo pants and her own boots. Her hair combed straight down and a small cap covering the small horns protruding from her head. Hinata was curious about that last garment but considering how worn it looked she thought it was some sort of memento.

"Alright, I gave you shelter, a bath and food. Now I want everything you know about the guys who hired you to smuggle weapons" said Naruto while Hinata readied herself to start scribbling everything Tayuya said, as she saw in a detective show.

Sighing Tayuya leant back on the chair and began "When I first came to this planet, it was under the advice of some human privateers I just finished working with. They liked my flying style and recommended me to come looking for nice job opportunities like the ones we just did back then. They told me to be on the lookout for a guy named Bragg"

"When I flew in I was received by that Toni guy and then spent three days looking and asking for this fella, but no matter where I went no one seemed to know him or rather no one wanted to tell so I figured this guy was the real deal. By the fourth day I was planning to leave Hysperia since probably they weren't interested in an ace pilot like myself so I headed back to my ship only to have it been searched from top to bottom by a bunch of crew service guys and several armed guards around it. That guy Bragg then walked up to me and explained me the reason for the check up and what his employers expected me to do. By the looks of it seemed far more than I bargained for and I wanted to get out but seeing all that security, I realized that the only way out of it would be with a hole in the head" said Tayuya.

"Mmm, it seems someone really powerful pulls the strings here" said Naruto while attempting to look serious and meditative.

"Seriously? Are you a genius? Anyway, they debriefed me about my destination and just gave a hint of the cargo's nature. They are also the ones who gave me the Thornian sound weapon and the modified armor. By that moment I really wanted to ditch the job and leave the planet but the guy was a sly one and told me that once I saw him I couldn't back down so easily" continued Tayuya.

"Everything was going smoothly and according to schedule, but then you caught sight of me on that midway station and you can figure the rest. After your cyclopean officer allowed me to go over your unlawful arrest I got contacted by this Bragg. He hailed me back to Hysperia where the bastard took my ship and my things as insurance for the lost cargo, then with a mocking grin he told me I was free to leave the planet whenever I wanted since I no longer had any affiliations with him or his group. So for the past month I have been stealing and begging to get by, more than once I got into fighting rings to earn some spare parts and I got lucky to acquire a rare Silverian Thornian flute which eventually made my life a bit more bearable until you guys showed up" finished saying Tayuya as she turned aside with a sad expression.

"That's all of it?" said Hinata.

"Yup, that's all. I haven't seen this Bragg or any of his goons ever since" responded Tayuya.

Naruto on his side considered this last bit of information and for once concentrated on it as Shikamaru advised him once, but before he started to give theories Hinata started talking in all seriousness.

"Well it seems this Bragg has the entire section under his command as to appear and disappear at will. The working crews and armed men show that his business is not a small operation but a rather large one with a high degree of coordination and funding, which in turn indicates that he may just be the enforcer and local administrator. The real culprit must be better situated but is clever enough to never make his identity known" said Hinata while making a few annotations on her slate.

With awed expressions Naruto and Tayuya nodded silently.

"Our primordial goal then should be to actually detect the place where the weapons are being manufactured rather than crack down on Bragg and his gang since it would only scare his patron into the shadows where he would wait to start anew" continued Hinata absent mindedly.

"To do this we should explore the entire sector and look for leads that may take us to the weapons factory. Our main trouble then is that we may be under surveillance and so unable to move unnoticed" finished Hinata with a sigh.

Naruto couldn't stop feeling somewhat dumb after that litany of professionalism, and to think he has been on the work for more than 5 years since joining the Justicars.

Tayuya on her side wasn't all that interested; all she wanted was for Naruto and the breast chick to fulfill their promise to get her off world and bound for a midway station where she could start anew her independent freighting business.

"Our resources are limited and sadly we are the only ones of the team so we can't move unnoticed" continued Hinata.

Naruto nodded and tried to find a (non violent) way out of this mess. Usually he would beat the entire sector until finding answers, find the factory, rend it useless, get the clues to find more criminals and the scavenge for some goodies to get by for the next mission.

But with Hinata things just got all that much more complicated, seriously, why does catching criminals have to be so complicated?

"Seems like you should hire someone to sneak around…" said Tayuya absent mindedly which made Naruto and Hinata turn in her direction with a small glimmer in their eyes.

Noticing the sudden silence Tayuya looked at them and realizing the meaning of that look she got to her feet and crossing her arms in a big X she replied "No way! Not in a million years! I rather dance in that sleazy bar!"

Naruto got that foxy grin and said "That's a shame Tayu chan; because the longer it takes us to finish here the longer it will take us to leave and drop you at the nearest midway station"

Hinata with a very "innocent" smile also added "And we can't have freeloaders on our ship so we would have to ask you to leave the ship until we are done. When we finish we will contact you for our departure"

Tayuya gulped and sighing in defeat "Me and my big mouth. Fine, you win, I'll sneak around and see what I can find"

Hinata smiled with some sort of wicked triumph and handed Tayuya a small communication device "Here, you should be able to safely contact us when you have something. On the meantime I and Naruto will keep our façade to see if we get contacted by the smugglers"

Tayuya nodded and grabbing a small weapon from the ship's armoire sneaked out of the ship to avoid being seen.

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It's been three days since Naruto and Hinata arrived to Hysperia Majoris and so far their luck finding the weapon smugglers have been slim. They knew the smugglers already noticed their presence but so far they haven't made any attempt to hire them for the job.

Tayuya on her side was making little progress, though she knew the ancient hive better than those two she was no local so many hallways and entrances remained a mystery for her. Still she managed to explore plenty of the hive and managed to spot several of Bragg's goons loitering around in the more secluded bars of the hive, apparently they got hired for individual jobs since most of the time they seemed to be wasting time and money on hookers and the like.

Naruto and Hinata on their side decided it was best to keep going doing business as rogue spacers and went out to get parts and ask for any merchandise that needed discreet transport to its destination. So far they have managed to get a few minor jobs for which they got small payments and already they had a small cargo of counterfeit flight control programs. Naruto hoped this was enough to convince others of their front.

"Man, this is boring! Three days already and not one single lead on those guys; I am starting to think Jiraiya sent me here just to keep me out of trouble" said Naruto as he carried a couple of extremely heavy boxes on his shoulders.

"I am certain he did it to test our teamwork, besides Tayuya already confirmed us that the smugglers do exist and have spotted several of them since she went underground to search" commented Hinata as she was amazed by Naruto's fortitude.

"Still it's boring; I want guns blazing and …" said Naruto as a somewhat concerned Hinata looked at him expecting his next words.

"Quite a ship you have, mate" said a muscular man with a buzz cut and a goatee that didn't fit his face.

Naruto internally thanked the man for saving him from explaining to Hinata and getting into character replied "And who might you be? I am not selling it if you are wondering"

"Where are my manners? I am Master Bragg businessman extraordinaire" said the man while pretending to remove a nonexistent hat as he bowed.

Putting a tough face Naruto replied "So? What do you want? We are busy and we will be leaving soon"

Bragg smiled confidently and responded while eyeing Hinata "That would be such a shame since I have been informed that you were seeking new ventures to make a fortune of your own"

Quirking and eyebrow and loudly setting the boxes on the ground Naruto replied "Really? And you need those morons to make a business proposition?"

Hinata was a bit worried over the inspection crew and the armed men surrounding their ship, but to her relief they haven't been able to get into the vessel and certainly none of them had ever seen a Feranian ship in their lives before.

Laughing Bragg said "Oh don't mind them please. They are here just to keep our dealings peaceful as for the inspection crew, they are just here to make certain your vessel is fit for the goods transportation service I want you to perform. But to my surprise they haven't been able to properly inspect your vessel; it's as shut as the legs of a silent sister in Onidia!"

Naruto laughed at the joke and responded "Well, like with the sisters all you need is the proper approach and expertise. But even if your proposal is good I won't let you or anyone else on my ship until you explain in full detail"

Bragg seemed a bit off by Naruto since few spacers stood up against a man with several armed men at his command, but being a man under pressure by the last failed job he would have to accommodate this cocky spacer.

Clapping he dismissed the rest of his men and with a big smile "Of course! Let's talk business properly then. Meet me at the Last Ditch Bar in an hour and hopefully we can begin a very fruitful business relationship"

Bragg followed his men out of the hangar leaving Naruto and Hinata alone with their ship.

Before Hinata spoke, Naruto signaled her with his hand to remain silent and step into the ship quickly.

"Sorry for shutting you up but he may have left hearing devices at the hangar. Well, we finally have a good lead here. We will meet this guy, but before that I want you to inform Tayuya so to have her follow Bragg back to whatever hole he crawled up from. Also we may need to show the ship to Bragg so we have to put back Federation equipment into concealed compartments. Good thing Ten-Ten thought of all my needs before giving me the Daring Fox" said Naruto as he accommodated the boxes.

Hinata nodded all his instructions but before getting to work she made a seemingly innocent question "What are the Silent Sisters?"

Naruto's eye twitched and cursed.

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At the Last Ditch Naruto was already waiting for Bragg; in the end he decided to deal with Bragg alone since he wanted Hinata to be available as support for Tayuya. Besides dealing with guys like Bragg required a unique approach Hinata wouldn't probably find proper.

As Naruto casted long glances at the scantily dressed waitresses, Bragg pulled a chair and sat right in front of Naruto with a hand resting on his thigh close to a weapon.

"Is this guy for real? That's a movie trick that never works! Anyway let's play along and see what happens?" thought Naruto returning his attention to Bragg.

"Seems like you are entertained! I am glad Master…" said Bragg realizing introductions weren't made at any moment.

"Ryuji" continued Naruto.

"Master Ryuji, of course! Well as promised I am here to speak business opportunities with you; as an experienced spacer then you must know that trade depends on having necessities being covered by providers. But sadly our all mighty government puts a lot of rules and barriers to that end making the small businessmen like us submit to larger greedy companies and so we are forced to find alternate markets in order to have a well deserved income, don't you agree?" said a grinning Bragg.

"Get to the point" said Naruto without much enthusiasm for Bragg's little self serving speech.

"Well I need a spacer who can move certain unofficial cargo to a rather inhospitable system. Your ship caught my eye a few days ago and by the look of it, it's just what I need and you certainly look like the kind of professional for the job" said Braag with more ease since he finally got it out from his chest.

"Sounds interesting, but I hate such vague terms. If you want me and my ship, I must know how dangerous is the job as to charge properly for it" responded Naruto while laying back on the chair and charging up his gauntlet.

"I am afraid that the nature of the cargo is a bit controversial and the less we speak of it the better, nonetheless I am more than willing to clear your doubts with this payment" replied Bragg slipping a piece of paper with a number in it.

Naruto took it and quickly glanced at it "Uff, that's quite a number, your boss must really want this cargo to leave already"

Bragg paled greatly and tensed up moving his hand ever closer to the weapon in his holster.

Naruto noticed the sudden change in Bragg's demeanor and decided to cool him off before something bad happened.

"But that's hardly my business. Very well, you got yourself a spacer and a ship, I want half the payment in advance and half upon completion" said Naruto as he grabbed a waitress and told her to leave a couple of drinks at the table.

Bragg relaxed greatly and thanking the drink in front of him downed it in one go

"No worries Master Ryuji, as a matter of fact the payment will be complete and upon loading the cargo on your ship. After all once you complete the job we would like to part ways discreetly" said Bragg recovering his usual confidence.

"What's the catch? No one has ever paid me full up front for this kind of jobs!" replied Naruto wondering about such a good offer.

"No catch. But you must understand that such delicate cargo would certainly bring unwanted attention from the authorities" said Bragg while having a second drink.

"Heh, got your meaning. Well then to a successful job then" said Naruto offering his drink for a toast.

Clearly relaxed Bragg dared a question "And where is your lovely associate? It would be nice to have such a graceful creature to enjoy the drinks further.

Naruto coolly replied "Well, before coming here I kind of needed some rest from these few days doing petty jobs and wandering around this slum. So now she needs the rest"

Bragg blinked twice and laughing he replied "Hah! I already like you Master Ryuji! Another round girl!"

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Hinata shuddered for some reason as she made her way to the place where she was meant to see Tayuya to debrief her on the new developments and give her a tracking device.

She finally arrived at the designated area but no one was around so she just stood there waiting thinking she arrived to early and fearing Tayuya got caught.

Suddenly a hand covers her mouth and quickly pulls her through a door that shuts a second later. Hinata rose up quickly and before she could do anything a bright light blinds her forcing her to put a hand in front of her.

"Relax breasts! It's me" Said Tayuya removing the light from Hinata's face and setting the lamp to illuminate the rather cramped space between walls where she hid.

"Miss Tayuya, I thought something bad happened to you" said Hinata while adjusting her eyes to the new environment.

"Nah! Half the people down here are intoxicated all the time so having a clear head is more than enough to avoid trouble" replied Tayuya.

"Good, had any luck?" asked Hinata

"Yeah, though you probably know already. Those goons received a message and went straight to gear up and assemble at the docks. They went to check your ship right?" continued Tayuya.

"They have, and as we speak Naruto is reaching a business deal with Bragg. We want you to follow him back to the source of the weapons or if possible plant this tracking device" said Hinata while placing a small button like device in Tayuya's hand.

"Nice toys you two got! Never imagined Naruto would get this stuff in his life! After all the disasters he usually make" said Tayuya while tucking the tracking device in her jacket.

"Naruto has some very good friends who care about him deeply and won't abandon him over a few mistakes" said Hinata in defense of her superior.

"Then they got to be the biggest fools in the galaxy to not sever ties with such a walking mess. I mean how do you explain the destruction of an entire research installation just to get a simple criminal?" said a mocking Tayuya.

"Because they love him miss Tayuya! And no matter what he does or what he becomes, nothing will change that! I have known those who surround him and I can see how much love there is surrounding him!" replied Hinata with conviction.

Tayuya wanted to answer but was left speechless since it reminded her of something else, so she just shut up and looking something downcast she nodded.

"So all I need to do is track this Bragg back to his base and that would be all?" said Tayuya in a most monotonous voice.

Not understanding the sudden change in Tayuya's mood Hinata nodded her confirmation.

"So where is this Bragg right now?" asked Tayuya in the same tone.

Somewhat off Hinata said "At the Last Ditch Bar, they are probably finishing by now"

"Let's go" said Tayuya as she opened the door and lead the way towards the Bar.

Hinata followed silently as she continued to wonder about Tayuya's sudden change. She probably said something that upset her, but before she could voice her apology Tayuya was immobile with a look of righteous fury.

Curious about what brought such look to Tayuya she found herself adopting a similar stance, for in front of her Naruto and Bragg just stumbled out of the bar completely wasted and singing something no creature could understand. Both attempted a high five farewell but failing they just laughed and parted in different directions.

"Miss Tayuya, I withdraw what I said, I wonder the same thing at this moment" said Hinata as she went after the stumbling Naruto.

Tayuya on her side slowly walked after Bragg in the opposite direction.

Hinata managed to catch up with Naruto who had a foxy smile as he leant on the side wall making his way back to the ship.

"Are you alright Naruto?" cautiously asked Hinata as she stood in front of him.

"Huh? Hina chan! So glad you are here!" screamed Naruto as he gave her a crushing hug while burying his face on her ample bosom making her yelp with the sudden intimacy.

Hinata's face reddened like a dying sun as a happy Naruto continued to rub his face on her breasts like a little child with her mommy.

"N-N-Naruto, what are you doing?" yelped Hinata as she began to feel strangely hot.

"Paying you back" purred Naruto as he skillfully moved behind her placing one hand on her belly and the other rubbing her neck from below her jaw to the back of her ear.

"W-W-What for?" gasped Hinata as she was starting to drown in the pleasant sensations Naruto was submitting her to.

"Ever since I met you nothing but good things has come my way, and as mother taught me, I have to be grateful with those who contribute to your life. And making you feel good is the only thing I can do for you" finished saying Naruto as he slightly licked Hinata's ear sending shivers all down her spine.

Hinata couldn't help but feel all the pleasure Naruto expertly delivered and for a small moment she dared to consider giving in but remembering his previous experiences, current estate and her mission to guide him she managed to find the strength to squirm out of his grasp.

"W-W-Wait! Kind words are more than enough Naruto! Besides this is considered harassment and improper behavior for law enforcement agents! And I have never thought you owed me, if anything it is I who owes you everything and I hope to have the courage to repay you someday!" replied Hinata while not being capable of facing Naruto.

"You are my most important person right now Naruto" shyly confessed Hinata while still facing away.

Hinata fidgeted with her fingers as she expected a response from Naruto "He must be shocked! What a fool I was! Going out and confessing like that and in the middle of a slum!" she thought.

"Hina chan…" slurred Naruto

"YES!" half screamed Hinata straightening up.

"I don't feel very well…" said Naruto just before he spilled his guts in front of Hinata.

Hinata just stared with a blank expression as Naruto barfed, coughed a little and rolled unconscious to one side.

Feeling something between relief and disappointment she proceeded to place Naruto's large frame on a sliding platform someone had discarded near the docks and transported him towards the Daring Fox.

Hinata couldn't help but feel that this kind of situations would repeat quite often while working with Naruto, but even as strange or disgusting it could be she couldn't see herself in any other place but by his side.

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Tayuya didn't had any problems placing the tracking device on Bragg considering his very intoxicated state, so she decided to keep following him back to whatever hole he crawled from if only to properly guide Naruto back to this place and measure the security of the operation.

Eventually as they continued going further deeper into the hive the regular inhabitants of the hive started to become scarce and the most dangerous kind began to appear as weapons were no longer concealed and everyone's faces depicted a very violent background.

Tayuya though wasn't daunted by this, she has been in worst company and many of these criminals wouldn't dare to provoke a firefight without good reason. Not to mention she packed a nasty surprise in her jacket and her face depicted a scarier expression than any of them.

Finally Bragg made it to a rather renewed building among the more ancient ones next to it. Tayuya managed to see that the men within laughed at Bragg's state but further inspection told that these were not the common hired guns of the area. They wore clothes similar to the rest of the local population only they wore it in identical patterns, carried equipment such as ammo clips and knifes in the same areas and they seemed well fed and healthy.

"Mercenaries and they pack serious firepower" thought Tayuya as she moved around the outer wall of the complex looking for a way in.

The complex had a large wall surrounding it and was made of different scrap metal plates melded together. Tayuya tried to look for cracks around it but the poorly lit hive made it a very frustrating labor so she removed her cap exposing her small horns. Slightly hitting the wall with them she sent a low sound vibration across it.

Listening intently to the sound she grinned and placing her cap on, ran around the complex where she found a hole made by rodents. Thanking that the rodents of the hive are more the size of large dogs she managed to slip in and using her refined hearing she avoided the patrols going around.

Inside the complex she saw the Thornian sound weapons copies being stored in a large warehouse next to a shaft that lead to a lower level from which a cargo elevator went up and down bringing more weapons.

"Weird, schematics didn't mention anything below. They must have dug in and built a new factory and since it is underground the above structure can be destroyed sparing the factory" thought Tayuya as she kept looking around from a nice hiding spot.

"You drunk low hiver!" Tayuya heard a man scream.

She turned to see Bragg being punched by a smaller but regally dressed man wearing a silver mask.

The man rubbed his hand and proceeded to wipe it clean with a silk handkerchief as Bragg stumbled back to his feet.

"I am very sorry Master Servian" muffled Bragg as he rubbed his cheek that didn't seemed hurt beyond the insult.

"Guess that's what you earn when you work with low hivers, you don't even make up for a decent work force on the upper factories. Say Bragg did you finally managed to find a ship?" said the man still rubbing his hand after the rather weak punch.

"Yes Master, a spacer named Ryuji has an impressive ship, custom design and scanning proof. The guy works with a pretty lass but he is the real deal not to mention quite dangerous I think" weakly said Bragg.

"Is that so? Are you certain of this? After all you praised that dumb red head that got caught on the last job. I am under immense pressure to get these things out of here and the longer it takes the longer I will have my men torture you" said Servian while poking Bragg's chest with a cane.

"Trust me Master, this guy seems like the real deal" was all that Bragg dared to reply.

"We shall see" said Servian as he boarded an elegant hive car that took him out of the complex and to the upper levels.

Tayuya managed to take pictures of the entire place as well as of that Servian. She left the complex undetected swearing she would get back at that Servian for the rather tactless remark on her intelligence.

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"So this masked man is the head of the operation?" said Hinata while speaking via intercom with Tayuya.

"Yeah, the mask may conceal his face but I am sure he is one of the hive masters. The clothes, the demeanor and the names he called Bragg tell me that much. As for his identification I have no more than the picture of a very standard vehicle, no visible serial numbers or any other trait" continued Tayuya while she rested in a small room of an improvised inn.

"What about the guards? They seem quite different from the regulars down here" asked Hinata.

"Professionals, all of them; Guards from the upper levels or off world hands, can't tell. They look sharp though they left cracks on the perimeter, they must feel confident no low hiver would dare to wander close to the facility" replied Tayuya.

"Any other personnel?" queried Hinata.

"Two machine operators moving the cargo into the warehouse and operating the elevator. They probably have more workers underground and engineers for the weapons calibration" replied Tayuya.

"I see anything else you may want to add Tayuya? Anything could be useful" said Hinata.

"Yeah, those are Thornian sound weapons, you know from my home world. They must have a Thornian working down there to make the calibrations, only we can do them right" said Tayuya in a tone somewhat akin to shame.

Hinata caught the meaning and just acknowledged her report and signaled out. Part of their mission was complete, they confirmed the existence of a weapons manufacturer and a smuggling operation, the location of the plant and some of the people involved. Still their mission also required them to figure out who was the main patron behind the whole operation and who were the clients on the Soundya system, and sadly that required a lot more of intelligence gathering not to mention the need of more people to infiltrate the higher levels of the hive and locate the masked man.

"Ah, and we already asked so much of Miss Tayuya" said Hinata while sighing and stretching.

"You think that too, huh?" groggily said Naruto while stepping into the briefing room of the ship with Hinata.

"You feel alright?" asked Hinata while feeling a bit repulsed by Naruto's less than stellar looks.

"These hive drinks are more poison than alcohol I swear! Should have known back at the Pilaris disaster!" said Naruto while falling on the large couch of the briefing room.

"Pilaris?" asked Hinata.

"Never mind; so, let me guess, more work ahead of us?" said Naruto while covering his eyes.

"Unfortunately, there is a factory alright and we have its location but beyond that we know little else. We may have to tail the factory master at a later time as for the clients in the Soundya systems we have no clue about them. Should we send this information to Lord Jiraiya?" said Hinata.

"Nah, they already know about these things. Our goal is to make a statement more than an arrest, the Soundya systems will always be a conflictive zone less we make actual peace with the Uchiha. We want the subversive groups at Soundya to know we have them on our sights and that we can pluck them out efficiently" said Naruto.

"So nothing short of a flawless operation will do?" asked Hinata.

"Yep. But worry not, I have a plan. We are short on manpower to execute a wider operation so we do the next best thing. We infiltrate the complex, take the info we need and we rely it quickly to the Corps!" proudly said Naruto while trying to seat right.

"Wasn't our mission a stealth one?" worriedly expressed Hinata.

"Our mission was to confirm the existence of the weapon smugglers and from there further actions would be taken. Now, as a Justicar it's my duty to go above and beyond my duty! So we crack this operation in record time and if we are swift the Federation may catch the lot of them!" excitedly said Naruto.

"Mmm, I don't know isn't it too risky? We can ask for more assistance, maybe get another Justicar to help us" said Hinata trying to dissuade Naruto from his train of thought.

"No! We are a few hours from receiving the weapons and we are under surveillance. This is the perfect chance, we strike while they don't expect it. Now get me the info from Tayuya I need to plan the operation" said Naruto looking as if on fire and fully recovered from the toxic beverage.

Hinata didn't reply anymore and handed Naruto the pictures and the notes she had made about the smugglers operation.

"Call Tayuya, tell her we are going into the factory. I will need her to scout ahead of us" said Naruto while a grin crept into his face as he went through her notes and the pictures.

"Ah, yes!" yelped Hinata as if caught in the middle of a storm.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"Cargo is under way. Are you certain of this?" asked a somewhat concerned Tayuya as she reported back from a hiding spot just out from the facility.

"I knew you cared Tayu chan!" Naruto happily responded "And I am certain. Time is of the essence here; we will take out Bragg and his companions, grab his vehicle and head back to the facility. Once there I and Hinata will shut down the place and neutralize everyone inside, like a stroll through a park!" finished.

"Idiot! Of course I care! If you guys mess this up then I remain stranded! Just watch for the armed guys inside the facility they pack quite some firepower. And also watch for the Thornian sound weapons, they can flay you with those things" responded an annoyed Tayuya.

"So sweet of her" said Naruto to a concerned Hinata as she checked her gear for the fifth time.

"So how do we do this?" asked Hinata

"Easy, when they load the cargo into the ship we render them unable to fight. Then we take their vehicle and head back to the facility. Once inside we destroy any vehicle that may attempt to escape, we take the surface and then we head down to take over the factory. Quite simple isn't it?" finished Naruto.

Hinata couldn't believe her ears; Naruto pretended that a two man team takes over an entire installation full of armed guards. That kind of operation usually took detailed planning and a complete assault squad of heavily armed professionals, not a couple of close range specialists like she and Naruto!

Before she could spoke her concerns about the badly planned operation Naruto opened the cargo bay doors as Bragg appeared right before their eyes. Naruto signaled him to start loading the crates into the ship. Naruto urged Bragg to hurry up so he in turn made the guards to help loading the crates.

As the last crate was being placed in the holding bay Naruto made a small hand signature for Hinata which she acknowledged by remotely activating the bay doors to close and the lights to go out.

Before Bragg could utter his surprise, a violent punch to the jaw left him unconscious. Hinata swiftly moved between the workers who helped load the crates and with precise strikes knocked them out. Finally the two armed guards managed to open fire into the enclosed space but to their bad luck Naruto had already moved past them and crashing his elbows at the back of their heads finished the last of Bragg's entourage.

"First step clear. Hinata grab their stuff and secure them" ordered Naruto as he started to undress the armed guards.

**Twenty**** minutes later**

"Tayuya we are getting there on Bragg's vehicle, what's the situation?" asked Naruto through the comm link.

"Bad and good news, which one you want?" said Tayuya.

"Huh, good news?" asked Naruto.

"That Servian guy just arrived and he seems none the wiser about what's coming to him" replied Tayuya.

"And the bad ones?" added Hinata.

"Along with him thirty plus guards, you should abort" said Tayuya back.

Hinata turned around to question Naruto but the look on his eyes was a fierce one and almost an expectant one. Not having many options she signaled Tayuya that the mission was still on course.

**Five minutes later.**

"Where's Bragg? He called saying he finished the loading over thirty minutes ago! Have that ship left already?" loudly asked Servian to his personal clerk.

Before he could answer one of the guards said that Bragg's vehicle was returning and proceeded to open the gates of the facility.

Naruto on his side just nodded to Hinata who in turn gulped down and nodded back.

At everyone's surprise the vehicle sped up and flew right into the facility crashing into an improvised weapons locker at the far end. As they moved to check the accident several flash bangs went out with deafening explosions and blinding lights that caught everyone by surprise.

Like everyone else Servian was caught completely by surprise and the disorientation didn't helped at all. Slowly as he recovered his eyesight, he managed to see that his men started to open fire in every direction which forced him to drop to the ground and begin crawling to his vehicle. As his hearing returned he heard how his men started to cry in pain or short muffled sounds as they began to drop around him as two blurs moved from one to another as he also noticed that someone had also tossed smoke grenades and so he was starting to choke on the quite dense smoke.

He crawled all the way to his vehicle and actually managed to find the door of his vehicle, all he needed to do was to open it, dial a few numbers and the vehicle auto pilot would take him out of this madness.

Just as he was pulling the lever, his hand got crushed against the door of the vehicle by a glowing blue gauntlet that removed itself as boiling blood evaporated from it as it withdrew from the now destroyed hand.

"Going somewhere?" an low dangerous voice spoke to him before a kick to the jaw left him unconscious and unable to feel the excruciating pain that had just begun to settle.

Hinata on her side managed to see the scene as she swiftly moved from one person to other delivering paralyzing strikes to the armed guards and any other person on the facility. She had become quite adept to such strikes since her fight with Sakura demonstrated that strength was not her forte and for some reason she was damn good in it.

Tayuya from her watching spot couldn't believe her eyes as she saw how two operatives were taking down the small army of Servian. She cringed every time Naruto's gauntlet connected with a person as those flew away crashing hard on the walls of the facility, as for Hinata she moved fluidly between armed men dropping them down cleanly as she continued to throw more flash bangs and smoke grenades to make of it a continuous pandemonium.

"Damn, glad I am on their side" said Tayuya as she whistled in awe. Just as she was about to signal them about further elements not being taken care of she caught a glimpse of two large horns going down the elevator shaft.

Clenching her teeth she took her gun and her flute and headed into the mess.

Finally after five minutes of loud explosions and thick smoke the fire of automatic guns could no longer be heard and instead moans from injured people was the only sound raising form the finished battle.

She quickly scanned the place with her eyes and not finding more resistance proceeded to rendezvous with Naruto and move unto the factory underground.

Still when her eyes finally landed on Naruto she couldn't help but ask if her eyes were seeing someone else for Naruto was standing in the middle of several downed enemies as he moved his head in a similar manner to that of a predator.

His hair was somehow messier and more spiked, his pupils almost looked slitted and there was a blue glow coming from his blood stained gauntlet. Hinata stepped closer feeling it was a bad idea but her duty and training managed to make her move by his side.

"Ah! Hinata! There you are! Common this guys weren't good for a fight let's see if the ones down there have more backbone than these wimps!" said Naruto as he straightened up looking even more imposing than before flashing a white grin with somewhat larger fangs.

Gulping down before this new and rather scary Naruto she nodded "Right, it seems we managed to finish the insertion successfully and I have already closed the gates to keep anyone from escaping, though it doesn't seems like something to worry about" said as she saw the havoc they created.

"Perfect, let's get to that shaft then. Can't wait to see what those guys down there have in store for us!" said Naruto as he took long strides towards the elevator shaft.

"You know what? Hand me over the rest of the flash bangs and the smoke grenades. I have a very fun idea!" said Naruto while grinning.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"That bastard! Where the hell is he?" said Tayuya as she moved through the ventilation ducts of the factory down below.

She managed to drop through the emergency stairs almost fifty meters into the factory where less than ten armed guards had been assembled to mount a defense against the intruders causing havoc on the surface.

Still whatever Naruto and the breast girl were doing was no longer her concern; her concern was to catch that male Thornian who managed to escape underground. Her pride as a true Thornian on the line would push her to seek him out and kill him for his crimes here.

As she continued moving through the ducts and having removed her cap she was now navigating with her special traits looking for the other Thornian. As she thought she finally found him and low vibrating noise told her of immediate danger an quickly punched the panel beneath her to drop on the ground.

As she landed the duct on the roof imploded in a very concentrated space.

"Aha! I knew you were involved in some way miss Tayuya" said in grave tone a black haired male Thornian with large red coiled Horns.

"It was impossible our operation may have been tracked without some insiders help" said the man as he shot another sound blast from his custom made sound weapon making the ground crack though no sound was made.

Tayuya evaded the blast and positioned herself behind a thick metal column facing a long hallway.

"So you know Thornian combat strategies. You put yourself behind a resistant surface while avoiding reflecting ones" said the man.

"You have any idea of what you are doing?" screamed Tayuya while blindly firing a couple of shots guided by sound only.

"Earning a well deserved income!" mockingly said the male Thornian as he shifted the weapon to shock impacts allowing for faster repetition.

"Don't you care what you do to the Thornian people? We already have it hard as it is after the civil war and the parting exodus, we don't need the rest of the galaxy to consider us terrorists too!" screamed back Tayuya as she emptied the clip of her gun and made a dash for another room where she could better hide of the dangerous sound weapon.

"And what do you care for Thornia? If you are here it means you or your family left the planet during the exodus. You are as much an outcast as me! You do what you can to survive and in this galaxy it's you or them!" shouted back while attempting to nail Tayuya as she ran.

"And that's exactly why everyone treats us like criminals before getting to know us you prick! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a decent job or even a meal?" screamed Tayuya as she rummaged the room looking for something to use as a weapon.

"Huh? Aren't you a criminal too?" asked a confused Thornian.

Tayuya grumbled about her big mouth but remembered the silverian flute strapped on her belt.

"This is going to hurt" said Tayuya while she putted on her cap and carefully positioned her fingers on the flute. Taking a deep breath and focusing she started to play a tune which made her cringe with pain though the sounds would have seemed beautiful to most species.

Tayuya could feel several blood vessels bursting inside her making her ears and nose to bleed.

"Argh! What the fuck are you doing bitch! That tune is forbidden! Argh!" screamed in pain the other Thornian as his own nose and ears began to bleed more profusely.

The man started to shoot indiscriminately trying to silence the terrible tune that was torturing him ever more painfully, but having lost his balance he dropped the gun and held his horns trying to stop the pain. Finally his eyes began to bleed and at this point he lost consciousness.

Tayuya on her side hearing the silence stopped playing and started panting as she tried to crawl towards the sound weapon but having lost balance it was impossible "Fuck! Naruto you better come and get me…" said Tayuya while fainting.

A few instants later a loud explosion filled the underground factory with a deafening roar followed by a dense smoke screen.

**AN: DONE! At last!**

**Man that took me forever to finish! Being unemployed seriously depress you to the point where you can't do anything so I kept writing small bits for this chapter. Hopefully the next chapter will be easier since it's the conclusion of this mission.**

**Remember I won't forfeit my stories unless I get killed or my arms chopped off so be patient, my current situation is kind of hard and I get distracted very easily.**

**For my fans of both stories, I plan to start writing a humorous fic since I have been making my stories more serious and I wanted them to be a lighter read, so to balance the universe and attempt to improve my comedy skills I will write a new story.**

**For those curious, it will be a Rosario+Vampire based story using the characters from Naruto. Why? Because I have been reading a lot of great stories based on that manga/anime and I happen to find the setting quite funny. The Naruto characters will be the monsters attending the High school and as you would expect it will have funny romance settings (I hope). As for the main pairing well it may be an unpopular choice but as with this story, is an open theme which I may change over time.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy this new addition and perhaps give my new story a try.**

**Read, Enjoy and Review.**


	10. Under my watch

**Chapter 10: ****Under my watch**

"Mmm, that tickles…" murmured Tayuya as she hug the pillow ever closer to her.

"Huh?" gasped Tayuya as she opened her eyes and found herself changed into a white gown which was a bit larger on the chest area.

"What the fuck?" she almost screamed as she realized that this as no longer the ground of the factory and by the smell no longer the hive itself. She was in a small but clean cabin with a window that allowed her to see they were currently in space and nowhere near Hysperia.

She was confused as of where she was and while moving noticed the bandages around her head and also that she was sparkling clean, even her hair was glossy and silky, not dry and dusty as she usually had it.

Her flute was neatly placed on the desk at the opposite wall and her clothes were placed at the locker near the door. She started to remove the blankets but at that moment the door of her cabin opened revealing Hinata in less combative clothes carrying a tray of recently cooked food.

"Miss Tayuya! What a relief! How are you feeling?" asked a smiling Hinata as she left the tray on the desk and sat next to her.

"Where are we? What happened? Where's Naruto?" Tayuya asked in quick succession.

"The Daring Fox, you fell unconscious and he is piloting the ship towards a midway station" responded Hinata while placing a table in front of Tayuya so she could eat.

"How long have I been asleep?" wondered Tayuya as she started to wolf down the food.

"Three days. You were quite in a bad shape; you blew several blood vessels and damaged some nerves. Truthfully those Thornian sound weapons are scary. But you managed to kill the Thornian engineer working for Servian" said Hinata while serving a cool drink for Tayuya.

"Huh, right those things are quite a handful aren't they? But how comes we are already on space didn't you two had to do all the Justicar stuff after crushing those bastards?" asked Tayuya while taking the drink.

"Well, you see several things happened back then and we kind of had to make our stay a lot shorter than expected" said Hinata with a nervous smile

**Flashback!**

The elevator fell stridently as Naruto had cut off the lines holding it making it drop the fifty meters of the shaft in a few seconds.

Naruto stood at the edge waiting for something still sporting that feral grin on his face. At last a loud explosion reached their ears making Naruto smile back to Hinata.

"There it is! Now, go down the emergency ladders and once you get down there neutralize anything that moves and find a way to shut down the energy of the factory" said Naruto as he recklessly jumped into the shaft.

Hinata wanted to ask several things to Naruto but was cut short by his hasty behavior. Gulping down her worries she went to the ladders and began the long descent to the factory where she couldn't imagine the surprises expecting them.

On his side Naruto landed hard upon the remains of the now useless elevator and quickly stepped out of the smoking shaft expecting some kind of resistance but to his surprise found the remaining guards unconscious or squealing about having lost their hearing; apparently the combined flash bangs had been quite the sensorial bomb he expected as the confined space and the metallic walls amplified their effect several times.

Naruto let out a sigh of disappointment and proceeded to put out of commission those still moving. Hinata arrived shortly after as she managed to slide down using the rails of the ladders.

"What now?" loudly asked Hinata while carefully looking ahead for traps or ambushes.

"We clean house and put the factory out of service. I will secure the production lines, you follow that hallway and try to find a way to power down this place" said Naruto without looking back as he powered his gauntlet and moved forward.

Hinata just nodded and hugging the wall moved carefully into the bowels of the Factory.

Naruto got itchy with anticipation "Damn, not enough! Common! Show your faces and bring it!" roared Naruto at the now paralyzed production lines where several weapons were sprawled unfinished.

He sniffed the air and realized that there was sweat and fear in the air "I know you are here! Step out and I might consider giving you a chance to surrender!" commanded Naruto rearing back his armored fist preparing a blast to whoever was fool enough to raise its head.

"Please don't hurt us! We are unarmed!" fearfully screamed a young girl in her teen years and wearing a dirty white jumpsuit with no pockets as she stepped out with arms in the air and followed by several other girls of different ages with the same attire.

Clearly surprised by the unexpected personnel Naruto powered down his gauntlet and breathing in and out a few times managed to speak in a much gentler voice. "Is there anyone else here? Are there anymore guards? It's alright I am a Justicar you see"

The lead girl dropped her arms and signaling the others that there was no need for fear faced Naruto "We were brought here by force several months ago and we haven't seen the surface in all that time. Sorry, all the guards went to the elevator shaft as they told us to keep quiet and behind the production lines. The Thornian engineer went to his office some time ago and that's all"

Naruto nodded recovering part of his smile "So there is another one, huh? Listen, stay here and don't move, authorities are under way and it's dangerous outside"

The girls nodded and went back to their hiding spot as Naruto powered his Gauntlet once more and confidently walked down the hallway seeking the last mark of the day.

Walking further down he saw two bodies crumpled on the ground close to each other; one was clearly a Thornian male with large red horns while the other was a red haired woman with a worn black cap on her head. Realizing who she was, all his expectation for battle turned into panic as he quickly reached her side and cradling her in his arms began to try and rouse her up.

"Tayuya! What were you doing here? I told you to wait outside!" screamed Naruto while rubbing Tayuya's cheek.

He panicked when he saw the blood still dripping from her nose and ears. Knowing a bit about Thornian sound weapons he feared the worst and growing more desperate held her close to his chest.

"No, no, no! This wasn't supposed to happen! This was supposed to go smoothly! Ever since Hinata joined me only good things were supposed to happen! I am sorry Tayuya, I am so sorry…" said a sniffing Naruto as he gently cradled her limp body.

**With Hinata,**

"Mmm, seems like we got them all; no firearms, no agonizing whimpers, no explosions. Just this obnoxious smoke screen and those amber lights on the roof. Seriously sending me alone to shut down this place" thought Hinata as she walked down the aisles of the factory searching for the power source of the factory.

"I don't even know how those look like!" thought a now annoyed Hinata as she went through several aisles and rooms that looked similar and the smoke becoming stagnant mean that the air circulators were broken.

Deciding that she was getting nowhere, Hinata leant against a wall to determine how she could pull this assignment.

"Energy, I must shut the energy. Oh! I know!" standing straight she exhaled and closing her eyes began to concentrate.

Slowly she opened her eyes and though it still hurt, she was beginning to get used to the sensation her strange Psionic ability got her through.

The world was once more one of grey and shadows but no place within was beyond her sight now; looking around she caught glowing pulses of yellow light going into the factory. Seeing the origin of the pulses she managed to start walking in the right direction.

"I am still not certain how this thing works or for what purpose but it sure comes in handy" thought a merrier Hinata as she finally found the door with the big ENERGY CORE sign on it.

Entering the small room she was expecting to find some power breakers or a big red button; instead she found a makeshift power conduit extracting energy from the hive's main power grid.

"Huh? How do I go about this?" wondered Hinata as she tried to deduct the best way to power down the factory.

Once more scanning the room with her Psionic skill noticed that a clamp was transmitting the power to the main lines of the factory, so she went to the mechanic controls that allowed her to open the clam and successfully shut down the factory.

"At last! Naruto, it may be obvious but the factory is effectively neutralized. Please acknowledge" said through the comm link a now more relaxed Hinata as she leant against the wall outside the power room.

Hinata waited for some moments but when she didn't received any response she tried once again the comm link to reach Naruto "Naruto? I repeat the power is down and the operation is a success"

She now remained still trying to listen to whatever response Naruto would send.

"Help me Hinata!" lowly said Naruto to a now petrified Hinata.

This sent a sharp cold shiver throughout her body that brought the worst fears into her to surface.

Without noticing her Psionic was once again activated but much more strongly and almost by instinct began to search for Naruto.

At one moment she saw the unconscious guards by the destroyed elevator, a second next she saw the crouching figures of several persons by the assembly lines. Focusing on them allowed her to see that they were all smaller frames than Naruto.

Finally she caught sight of a large figure crouching and as if holding something in his arms. She also noticed the other large frame sprawled in front of it.

Immediately her sight returned to a normal focus and managed to see the right hallways to reach them.

Setting to run frantically she crashed a couple of times to the walls as she was running too fast to turn appropriately. Finally after a few turns she reached the scene her sight showed her moments before; right in front of him was a male with large red horns lying dead with his head covered in blood, next to him was Naruto holding something very close to his chest as he whimpered and softly repeated "Help me, help me Hinata"

Carefully she kneeled next to him and compelled him to move in her direction to look for any injuries, but as he turned and relaxed his arms she noticed the almost lifeless body of Tayuya in his arms.

"What?" gasped Hinata as she froze.

"She was like this when I got here. I don't know what happened but she may have been hurt with one of those sound weapons. Please help her!" said Naruto still holding her.

Blinking twice she remembered her first aid training and compelled Naruto to lay her carefully on the floor. She then moved her hand to feel a pulse.

Hinata waited a few moments and after letting out a long sigh she said "She is alive, her pulse is strong but she may have head or internal injuries, we must bring a medic team in here"

**Flashback ends!**

"Then we brought you up into the infirmary where the auto medic station took care of you, good thing the machine comes programmed with every humanoid physiology in it. I wonder if it has the Augyan too?" finished saying Hinata as she cleared the table in front of a now satisfied Tayuya.

"So he did come for me" thought a slightly blushing Tayuya. Still there was something not being told here.

Right before Hinata could get out, Tayuya called her back "Hey, so what happened afterwards? Did you get the bad guys? Did your daredevil tactics worked?"

Hinata turned on her heels and giving her thumbs up sign exclaimed "Yup! We saved the day! Rest easy Tayuya!" quickly said Hinata with a nervous laughs as she closed the door and leave.

"Mmm, she is just a bad liar. Humpf, Naruto probably screwed up again and we are on the run from Hysperian authorities" thought Tayuya as she went back to sleeping with no more care about the events on Hysperia.

What she didn't knew was that in her hurry Hinata didn't noticed that the mechanic controls of the power clamp needed to be secured in order to avoid accidents, so the clam shut back on the hive's power grid with so much force that the clamp cut clean the main line effectively shutting down the entire hive. From bottom to top a huge black spot appeared on the surface of the planet that night.

Thankfully the emergency reactors kept going the most crucial systems that allowed hospitals, air circulators, and water purifiers going for hours after the greatest black out in almost four centuries.

Authorities were shocked beyond belief when they descended to the area where Hive command indicated the power line was cut and found an illegal operation running there, countless wounded armed men and a smoking shaft leading to an underground weapons factory where a Justicar and his assistant where carrying out a wounded woman while being followed by a bunch of girls.

Authorities immediately assisted Naruto under his order to secure the factory and keep the arrests as rioters going too far to make their demands be known. Once Tayuya had been placed under care Naruto went straight to find out who this Servian guy was; but when Naruto removed the mask a lethal neurotoxin was unleashed into Servian's brain killing him instantly and damaging his brain to the point where neuro scans would be impossible to find more clues.

DNA tests found out that Servian was a former Factory master who fell in disgrace after a few bad management decisions and an aggressive take over from a rival master. He made shady business to recover and perhaps meddled with a far more dangerous man than he expected.

Documents at his home discovered his clients at the Soundya systems but when Federation security forces lead by another Justicar in the area moved to make the arrests such clients where already dead apparently poisoned by a similar substance to that used on Servian.

All in all, the mission was a success for under the command of Magister Tsunade a thorough audit of Hysperia's elite began in order to investigate any treacherous activities being carried out and to send a strong message to other industrial systems of the Federation's constant watch.

But not all was a resounding victory…

"NARUTO! From all your previous disasters, this is by far the most expensive one! It took three days to reestablish energy to the hive! Do you have any idea of how much money did your stunt cost the planet? All the panic attacks, induced births, indecent behavior and robbery attempts to mention some of the crimes unleashed by the blackout! All you needed to do was to confirm the existence of the weapon smugglers! Or is that too much of a mission? Maybe I should send you to a border patrol mission? NO! Knowing you, you would start a new war with the aliens from the Yordan veil, or the Uchiha or better yet a new found species!" finished screaming a furious looking Tsunade while a bothered Jiraiya stood silent on his screen.

Naruto stood straight while withstanding the lashing from his superiors fully understanding that his nature got the better of him once again.

Calming down Tsunade breathed in and out trying to regain some sense of order in the midst of her angry lashing. Jiraiya taking the chance to offer some insight took the word.

"You know, you could have carried out the job for this Servian and found out about the clients in Soundya. That way you would have killed two birds in one shot instead of just killing them all, which brings a note of attention about their demises. They were all killed by the same substance but the curious thing was that they were killed almost at the exact moment you took Servian's mask. That kind of technology is extremely advanced and there are only two places of the known galaxy where quantum technology is being studied, with us and the Uchiha pact though this level is yet unheard of. It's quite troubling, so I have assigned some agents to find out more about it"

"In any case you stopped some very dangerous weapons from reaching the Soundya systems and that's something don't you think Tsunade?" finished saying Jiraiya.

"Ahh, Guess you are right" said Tsunade.

"Excuse me, but I was the one who shut down the power lines. I didn't know what I was doing and made a mistake. Please don't blame Naruto for this" said Hinata while bowing in regret.

"It's not your fault you followed orders and to begin with, you shouldn't had been there in the first place" dismissively said Tsunade.

"Naruto, you have people under your command now, your actions no longer affect you anymore but all those who follow you. You brought a rookie operative into a very dangerous situation and an inexperienced civilian which you coerced to work for you; though you could have conscripted her with you authority!" patiently said Tsunade.

Naruto turned to Hinata thinking "You don't have to be so explicit!"

"Anyway, Naruto you can count yourself lucky this time but don't gamble away those who follow you into the fire" finished saying Tsunade while disconnecting.

"Naruto I will be sending you your next assignment soon, so be done with that redhead as soon as possible. Take care" finished Jiraiya.

Finally the debriefing ended allowing Naruto and Hinata to let out a long breath while taking seats.

"I am impressed Hinata" said Naruto while smiling

Blushing she turned her head to side and quietly responded "Thanks, but I really didn't do anything"

"I mean, knocking the lights out of an entire planet! I have disabled space stations, boarded ships and came out of Mexican stand offs unscathed but you crippled an entire Hive! Guess there's always room to improve" Naruto said in a playful manner.

Hinata just wanted to cry; Naruto was mocking her and all on a very innocent mistake. Guess the first week in the job truly is the hardest.

Falling into silence Naruto and Hinata just stayed alone in the meeting room, feeling quite tired of the mission and meditating upon it.

"Hinata, I owe you an apology. I should have listened to you. Because of my eagerness I placed you and Tayuya in unnecessary risk. I promise it won't happen again" said a thoughtful Naruto while leaving the room.

Hinata didn't find words to reply for there were none. This is the kind of tests one must go through to grow as a person and a leader.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

After five days of space travelling the Daring Fox was finally arriving at a midway station between systems. These stations are particularly large as they tend to grow in size over the ages as new sections are attached or another station merges with it effectively making them deep space colonies where locals tend to the needs of travelers. And one of such needs is transportation.

Tayuya had been up and about walking around the ship as a way to recover from the self inflicted damage sustained during the battle with the male Thornian. So far she has been secretive on the details of her battle and so far Naruto has taken it for the truth though Hinata has been more inquisitive about since she took the duty to write all the reports and so far there was one thing that didn't added up.

"Say again Tayuya, how come the male Thornian had similar injuries to yours? According to the authorities the Thornian weapon from your battle was set to small shock sound bursts, from records I found that that kind of setting would have caused superficial bruising along with…" said Hinata while interrupted by Tayuya.

"Muscle paralysis; I know, I am a Thornian you know?" said while pointing to her head as she walked around the vessel to get her body back in regular shape while closely followed by Hinata and her information slate.

"Exactly which makes your wounds and his very rare, especially considering that you didn't had any sound weapon, just the small auto pistol from the armory" continued Hinata as she read the slate.

Getting tired of Hinata's constant questioning she slammed her fist at the wall and said "Listen Breasty! I don't recall much from the fight alright? I went down there because I can't stand my own people doing such things as producing weapons for terrorists and keeping little girls as slaves! Be glad it's done and we are alive, ok?"

At this she turned and huffing waited for Hinata to scramble but after a few moments of not hearing her footsteps she dared to turn a bit only to find a teary eyed Hinata trying her best to not cry.

"Whoa! Hey calm down! Seriously it´s not so much of an issue; things were chaotic down there and I guess I just got lucky" said a now guilty and uncomfortable Tayuya.

Stifling her tears Hinata managed to calm down and nodded "You are right these things are not my business, it´s only that it was my first mission and things went so horrible. So I just was trying to learn as much as possible so this doesn't happen again…" finished saying while threatening to start crying again.

Sighing Tayuya beckoned Hinata to follow her into the assembly room of the ship.

"I´ll tell you a few things but you better keep them to yourself!" said Tayuya in a menacing way.

Hinata nodded and happily followed Tayuya while thinking "Hah! The cute act worked again! If only I had known at Augya!"

Sitting down Hinata stood at the edge of her seat waiting for the story while Tayuya removed her cap and allowed her small white horns to see the light.

"It's true, I defeated the male Thornian and yes I did it with a sound weapon, my flute" said Tayuya while grabbing her flute from her belt and showing it to Hinata.

"The reason of why I followed that guy was because I am tired of people treating Thornians as criminals and troublemakers; the last thing we needed was to add terrorists to the list. So I went to put him out commission." said Tayuya.

"Why do people believe such things about your species?" asked Hinata.

"Well, because three hundred years ago we were part of the splitting species when the Uchiha betrayed the Federation and attempted to become an empire. My people had been swayed by the cunning Uchiha on promises of power, territory and a position of prestige in their empire. But when the Uchiha bet failed and the Federation remained, my people were left abandoned as the Uchiha fought to keep several territories under their control. The Federation brought its wrath against my world destroying our already small fleet and crushing our world government which in turn broke up the unity of my planet into smaller countries that almost immediately began discussions of how to lead our planet" continued Tayuya.

"After two hundred years of lacking a unified government the Federation finally decided to help us reestablish order after they had gone through their own reforms to avoid things like the Uchiha from happening again and securing our planet was one of the final steps to it. But when the Federation tried to force a government upon the now two hundred year old nations a great planetary war erupted forcing the Federation to leave the planet and let us sort out things. The war lasted for a hundred years and ravished much of our planet, not to mention that our sound weaponry is extremely destructive and according to Federation standards considered of Mass Destruction, even the little ones we found in Hysperia" finished Tayuya.

"Why? They are impressive but all weapons aren't they?" said a curious Hinata.

"The thing with our weapons is that being a species of high sound sensitivity we managed to control sound frequencies like no other. This made our music legendary for many centuries since the music goes at so many levels that we can almost make your entire body feel the music conveying even our feelings through it, or so they used to say. But on the other side we learned how to use those sound frequencies in war. A properly calibrated sound weapon could peel the flesh from your bones or have your bones shatter within your body. Those weapons don't have much range but shooting one in the middle of a crowd could create a real massacre in seconds" sternly said Tayuya

"Imagine turning those weapons against ourselves for a hundred years" finished Tayuya.

"Oh my" was all Hinata managed to say as she cringed remembering how close she came from becoming a victim to the one Tayuya almost used on her back in Augya.

"Finally the war ended not with a victor but with a new philosophy that became popular during the dark days. It ended the battle and returned peace and unity to my world but the damage was too great and our once glorious cities were no more. This new philosophy demanded from us constant acts of penance and mourning as we rebuilt our world, renouncing to our pride, our arts and our desires for they were the things that cursed us when we followed the Uchiha" continued Tayuya as her look started to wander into the window where space could be seen.

"Our cities are much humbler and black, silent and solemn; boring if you ask. Back in our better days our cities were radiant and golden and were a cacophony of music, study and creation!" spoke Tayuya with great passion.

"But our new leaders fearing those who wanted our days of glory restored, denied them and said that such ambitions were what led us to destruction. Tensions rose once again as we were conflicted upon which path to take. We were all worried that a civil war would sunder us again and probably extinguish our species so the Great Admiral Hiruzen made a proposition which seemed to be the only solution. He offered passage out of the planet to the Thornians who wished to restore our ancient ways while leaving those who removed themselves from such things behind in Thornia" said Tayuya with sorrow in her voice.

"Many were horrified by the idea but our divisions were very true and quickly leading us to a new conflict so swallowing our fears grabbed whatever little of our past we could carry and boarded huge Treelian freighter ships donated by the Federation and left to space for the first time in three centuries" continued.

"But the rest of the Federation wasn't so eager to take us back after the betrayal which almost plunged them into unending chaos. So everyone were treated as outcasts, renegades, not worth of any trust and in some places as demons whose tunes enchant people to hell"

Hinata remained silent taking the tragic story as Tayuya breathed out.

"This made us unwanted in every place and as we were poor no one wanted to trust us with a world to colonize so must of our people still fly on those huge ships while many among the younger generations took to the space to make a name and a living as privateers; certainly not helping our already bad reputation" finished Tayuya.

"Wow, I don't know what to say" meekly said Hinata.

"Don't say anything, I left the exodus ships to find a better fate and for people to recognize Tayuya not the Thornian girl. And now that I shared my story I ask you to keep it to yourself and tell no one" said Tayuya while leaving to make another walk around the ship.

Alone Hinata just could think that in a way Tayuya was like her, setting out into the unknown to make her dreams come true no matter the risk.

Meanwhile Naruto just closed the comm link to the meeting room after Tayuya's long story and getting up from the pilot's seat thought aloud "Guess that makes it easier then…"

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After getting clearance to land the Daring Fox coupled with one of the many small docks of the midway station number 1008 with a population of nearly two hundred thousand of many species that had come in the past and made of the station their home.

As per their agreement Naruto and Hinata would help Tayuya find a ship of her own to start anew her life as a privateer. Having grown up in a massive ship made of Tayuya an expert on vessels and so she was confident in getting a solid one for her to restart her life in space.

As soon as the small party descended several traders mobbed them asking for prices on the radically new ship offering other vessels in exchange or going as far as offering money and more than one vessel. One went as far as offering her young daughter!

Tayuya just sent them a diabolical glare which was enhanced by her horns and with it the mob scattered quickly.

"Got to know your way around these places" said a satisfied Tayuya as she clearly felt more confident in these stations.

Naruto and Hinata nodded though they also were spooked by such display.

Hours went by as the trio visited several ship traders and for some reason Tayuya turned down every single offer that in Naruto and Hinata's eyes seemed quite good. Tayuya always said that those vessels were more damaged than they seemed and that some of the newer vessels were from species with bad reputation in ship building.

Tayuya said that she waited for the vessel to scream out for her, a good sound from it, but so far none seemed to satisfy her demanding standards.

Finally the lights of the station dimmed to an almost nocturnal feel which indicated that the final hours of activity were coming as the 24 hours cycle approached its end.

"Man! We went through half the ship dealers of the station and none had a worthy vessel! People no longer care for their things these days; they just break once and immediately jump to a new one not caring for the partner who carried them for so long. And then they just sell it to these fools who only perform basic sustenance ignoring the most subtle damages of the ship; they are selling coffins!" almost screamed a frustrated Tayuya as she ate an extra sweet milk shake.

"Oh, you sure know a lot about ships. Probably from growing up in one I presume" said an impressed Hinata as she too had an extra sweet milk shake.

"That's right, a ship is more than a transport or a weapon; they are your home and a lot of memories go with it as it flies you across the stars in search of fortune and adventure. That's what hurt me more after losing my small freighter to Bragg and learning he sold it as scrap! Glad you took him down and is now rotting in prison!" said Tayuya as she finished her milk shake in one long swig.

Naruto who had been silent the entire day finally spoke "Tayuya, what do you think of my vessel? What sound does it make?"

Hinata blinked in confusion as Tayuya started to cough clearly surprised by the question.

"Well it's a fairly new vessel and of course her sound is rather harmonious showing an excellent craft and careful dedication to its making. To say the truth I would love to keep it, after all you cost me my last ship!" said Tayuya with a humorous tone clearly not meaning her last words.

"How about you fly it?" said Naruto looking straight into Tayuya's eyes.

Hinata dropped the straw of her milk shake as Tayuya cleaned the corner of her mouth with her sleeve as she couldn't believe the words Naruto just uttered.

"Huh, what did you said? You want me to keep your ship? You know I was kidding right?" carefully said Tayuya not wanting to think of the other possibility and have false hope.

"I don't want you to keep it but I think it would fly greatly if you are the one behind the steer. Tayuya I want you to fly my ship as I go from one mission to another" said Naruto leaning across the table.

Tayuya stood up and took a step back ready to run away from this clearly demented Naruto.

"E-Enough with your jokes! This is not the time! You want a criminal to work for you?" said Tayuya as she withdrew a bit further.

Naruto caught her arm and brought her back "I do want you to fly my ship. I acknowledge you are the better pilot and the way you speak so fondly of ships tells me that you will treat it as it deserves. Besides you are a failure as a criminal and you get into trouble very often so I decided to keep an eye on you from now on" finished saying Naruto with a slightly red tinge out from embarrassment.

Hinata, though surprised, smiled tenderly as she saw this compassionate side of Naruto who clearly felt responsible for Tayuya's wounds and became too worried for her as to lose her from sight.

Tayuya on her side went red with both fury and embarrassment over the sudden offer and the remark on her skill as an independent contractor.

Tayuya was about to reply a loud no but Naruto's next words changed that.

"I want you!" said Naruto while lowering his head not wanting to show this rather soft side of him to Tayuya with whom he had a weird connection being that she was his first successful assignment.

Tayuya's fury dropped to zero at that instant as those words struck an old desire of hers making her blush warmly. Stopping her struggle to go away she replied a low "Say it again"

Naruto blushed harder and said in a more awkward tone "I want you"

Tayuya cleared the small tears forming in her eyes and replied contently "Alright, I will be your pilot. Can't let such a fine ship being flown by a joke like you and a big breasted bimbo"

Naruto stood right at her face and screamed "Who is the joke? Me? Or the one who got caught more than six times by it?"

Tayuya stood her ground and screamed back "You only caught me because you cheated! You dumbass!"

As Naruto and Tayuya exchanged taunts Hinata continued to suck on her milk shake wondering what a bimbo was.

**AN: Done!**

**That was fast don't you agree? But sadly I may have to put this story in the freezer for a while.**

**R****easons? I want to start a new story where I can better exercise my humoristic skills and this story has an impressive lack of support despite my best efforts to make it entertaining and original in its own sense since Naruto sci-fi stories are quite rare.**

**So I will dedicate more time to my main project, The Wandering Sage, and to the first chapters of my new project.**

**In any case I don't want you to think that I am abandoning this story but instead I am going to dedicate more time to my other projects so it may take me a rather long time to update again.**

**I invite you c****heck out my other projects which will be in my profile and of course, to review this chapter.**

**In the mean****time you may also contribute with ideas for further chapters, especially on who you want Naruto to meet up next or where you want his next adventure to take place.**

**Read, Enjoy and Review.**


	11. The Wild Hunt

**Chapter 11: The Wild Hunt**

"Alright Miss Tayuya, welcome to the Justicar corps. I hope Naruto treats you well and remember your vows for they are important" said Jiraiya through the communication screen to a serious looking Tayuya who was now holding her own silver insignia as Naruto's newest Retinue.

"Miss Tayuya, would you please call Naruto back? I need to speak with him" continued Jiraiya looking more relaxed.

Tayuya saluted clearly not accustomed to the Justicar's way and went back for Naruto and Hinata who were waiting outside.

Once assembled Jiraiya took the chance to play with Naruto a little, after all he was finally surrounding himself with allies and perhaps that was a nice change for the otherwise lonely reckless Justicar. He congratulated himself for placing a stash of Retinue insignias along with the ship's equipment when Ten-Ten made the request.

Greening in his patented lecherous way he began "Like what I see Naruto! You are surrounding yourself with some pretty allies"

Both Hinata and Tayuya looked sideways with a tiny blush on their faces as Naruto stammered and replied "Hey! It's not like that you old pervert! They happen to be very capable and you heard what granny Tsunade said!"

Jiraiya smiled like a proud grand pa and continued "Well just make sure you don't exaggerate like Sakura, I will probably have a heart attack the next time I board her ship. Anyway, because of your little stunt in Hysperia the Federation has launched a thorough probe of every forge world close to the Soundya systems and thus Tsunade made me divert a lot of my Justicars to help leaving a lot of assignments on hold for at least three months…"

Naruto held his head high in pride and continued without hearing Jiraiya to the end "So you want to pick up the slack huh? Not my style but duty is first, alright tell me which important mission do you want us to complete?"

Jiraiya just blinked once before continuing "Like I will give you those assignments! Unlike you, those Justicars were specialized in long term covert investigations. Nah, those assignments will have to wait so to keep you out of trouble and for you to pay some of the damage you caused in Hysperia I sent your name to the Justice Board. Work for them until I get you something else to do; ladies, stay pretty!" and with that Jiraiya ended communications.

"Hey! Wait up old pervert! Not the Justice Board again! Meager jobs and you keep 90% of the payment!" screamed Naruto at the black screen.

"Justice Board?" wondered Hinata out loud.

"Bounty hunting; whenever a privateer runs out of money, one can take up a bounty from the Justice Board and pursue it. Some people make a career out of it but most try to avoid falling to do the law's job. It kind of tarnishes your reputation with the rest of the underground working community. Though I hauled a couple of small time fugitives myself" replied Tayuya being very knowledgeable about these things.

"But I do have a question, why did you said that master Jiraiya takes 90% of the money?" asked Tayuya.

"Well the Justicar's work as an independent branch so our income comes from a series of shadow investments, some alien technology patents and private sponsorship from secret contributors. When a Justicar messes' up, the organization must help the Federation cover some of the expenses and well you can pretty much imagine how does my checkbook looks like" said Naruto casting his head low.

"What? Are we broke?" screamed Tayuya.

"Not broke but we are certainly not going to make it to the end of the month with what we have right now. Buying you a full wardrobe wasn't exactly cheap without mentioning that restocking food other than ramen didn't made us any favors" said Hinata while showing them both the slate with Naruto's finances.

This made Tayuya feel guilty and Naruto even more depressed.

Seeing them in a kind of helpless situation, Hinata moved to the screen and commanded Anveena to make a connection with the Justice Board. Someone had to take responsibility around here!

The connection was established and after a few moments a man with a scar across his face and a pony tail appeared on the screen.

"Justice Board, external services office, how may I help you? Said a in a boring tone the man not looking at the screen.

"Ah, hello my name is Hinata Hyuuga and I would like some information on the available bounties" politely said Hinata with a warm smile finding the poor man as a rather pitiable person with that bored expression.

The man blinked twice and acknowledging the young beauty addressing him, straightened up and re-introducing himself "Good day my Lady, Iruka Umino from the External Services office at your disposal how may I help such a gracious lady?"

Hinata smiled at the man and made her request "I would like information about the bounties currently posted"

The man not believing his ears, wondered why does a fine looking young lady would even attempt to hunt down fugitives, so trying his best score some points he replied "And why is such a pretty lass like you want such information? Isn't it too dangerous?"

Hinata continued smiling and replied "You are very kind but the information's request is not for me strictly, it's for my superior officer. I believe the Justicar Corps already sent you information about Naruto Uzumaki, right?"

Immediately after hearing that name a huge vein popped on the man's forehead and his pleasant look changed to that of an ogre

"You are telling me that Naruto is your superior officer huh? May I ask where he is and why is he not making this call personally?" eerily asked the man with a tone that got Hinata somewhat scared.

"What did you do to this man Naruto?" thought Hinata as she stepped back from the screen with a nervous smile.

But before she could run away from the scary man on the screen Naruto stepped to her side and placed an arm around her shoulder getting her close to his chest.

"Hi there Iruka! Enjoying the virgin's life I see!" greeted Naruto with squinted eyes resembling a fox while Hinata blushed intensely on Naruto's behavior and the bold words he just uttered leaving behind his economic woes.

"NA-RU-TO! I am ten years older than you! How dare you think I am still a virgin for your information I…" tried to say Iruka but Naruto interrupted

"Ten years my senior and still making up stories of having a girlfriend that pleases your every fantasy. Common Iruka the faster you admit it the sooner you can heal. And your hand doesn't count either" said Naruto greening widely.

"I am not lying you dirty piece of…you know what? Forget it just tell me what you need and lets be done with this, by the way you are no longer my friend" said Iruka returning to normal with a not so hidden scowl.

Hinata got a bit worried over the man's sudden words and turning to look at Naruto she felt surprised by Naruto's face which was unfazed.

"Don't be like that Iruka; you know I have always treated you well don't I? Give me a nice hunt and I will give you the latest of Sakura chan crew's summer pictures. They have cosplayers this year…" finished saying a greening Naruto.

Iruka seemed unfazed by Naruto's words but as soon as the scar crossing his face turned red he was already going through his archives with the straightest face he could muster.

Hinata on her side went from embarrassed by Naruto's proximity to utterly outraged with his blatant naughtiness, not to mention his disrespect for virginity. One's virginity is extremely difficult to keep these days and it should only be lost to a special person. Not to mention that Iruka's lack of self-respect didn't help much either.

At a moment's notice Iruka displayed the face of a rather scrawny looking guy on the screen.

"Ah Iruka, common no one is really going to pay more than a few hundred for him. Guess you are not really interested in those pictures" said Naruto clearly disappointed in the bounty Iruka selected for him.

But Tayuya's gasp made him curious.

"That's Vany the thief! Don't tell me you actually tracked him down!" half screamed Tayuya.

"That's correct! Vany was successfully tracked to an agricultural system in the southern expanse but the immensity of the system available makes it a very difficult and expensive task for the Federation so we are leaking this info to every available bounty hunter who might be interested. The Federation established a lock down on the system so it's basically open season" said Iruka.

"Aww, that's no fun, so we basically go head to head with every bounty hunter in the sector? And just to capture one thief? I pass, give me something more substantial" said Naruto clearly uninterested by the bounty.

Tayuya then jumped in front of Naruto and pulling him to her level she started "Are you fucking kidding me? That's the most famous thief in the history of the Federation! He is the man who stole part of Madara Uchiha's DNA and managed to infiltrate Hashirama's mausoleum where his legendary secret was stored at his death. That man's stolen goods are the most fabled treasure in history! His bounty barely makes for a tenth of his stash! Bounty hunters have been waiting for a chance like this since forever! If we catch this guy not only will every one of your debts will be covered, you will become the greatest and richest hero of the Federation!"

At this Naruto blinked a few times and soon enough stars where on his eyes "Hero? Rich? Greatest?" said Naruto with an aura of excitement but seeing the weird looks from Hinata, Tayuya and Iruka on the screen made him cough a little and in a bit more straightened appearance he readdressed the others.

"Very well, we shall take upon this lead though I am certain we could be doing something more important. Well until Jiraiya comes around we will take this bounty as a diversion and to train my new aids" finished saying Naruto leaving the room with three very unconvinced people behind.

"He so wishes to get that bounty" said Tayuya earning nods from HInata and Iruka.

Hinata sighed and turned around to Iruka "Thank you very much Mr. Umino, now if you excuse us we must get ready for the mission"

"Iruka is fine; the Mister thing makes me feel a hundred already. By the way miss Hyuuga, how it happened?" asked Iruka earning Hinata's curiosity.

"What Iruka?" asked Hinata.

"That Naruto finally accepted some help. I know must people wouldn't work with Naruto given his reputation but there were a lot of recruits who wished to join him in his battles. Naruto is a trouble magnet but a famous well reputed one. He usually turned down people arguing he was good on his own and that no one was skilled enough to keep up with him; and now he has two lovely ladies working for him, you are not his…" said Iruka but Hinata stopped him right there.

"We are not, but some things happened that made this possible as for Miss Tayuya over there she is our hired pilot and street wise expert" said Hinata.

Iruka just smiled and replied "Well, whatever happened I think it will do him some good. Been a while since I saw him so happy"

Hinata was left a little confused over that, to her Naruto seemed content and ready for action at any moment, for her he seemed indistinguishable from the time they met on Augya.

"Eh, Hinata? Are you alright? You spaced out for a moment" said Iruka at the thoughtful Hinata.

"Right! Well it was nice to greet one of Naruto's friends, we shall speak later" said Hinata closing the comm link.

Iruka on his side tried to reply "Wait! My pictures!"

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The agricultural worlds of Savania are six immense garden worlds discovered during the first Human explorations going deep towards the center of the galaxy. These worlds were a unique set of planets orbiting twin stars sharing orbits having long exposures to sun light.

The worlds have large super continents and most of the ground is covered by thick fertile land covered in strong sunlight throughout the year. The untold millions of harvests have been feeding several sectors for several centuries.

These worlds are inhabited by a peaceful species of humanoids called the Yaru, who have very thick tanned skins, short stature and a gentle demeanor that made them perfect farmers and since the entire land was fertile, never sparked conflict beyond the annual contests.

Humanity offered them a gateway to the stars but the Yaru opted to remain as a simple species and stick to their worlds, so in exchange for the bountiful harvests, large fleets of the Federation had stood vigil for the peaceful farmers who made possible the colonization of so many other worlds.

"Why would Vany chose these systems to hide? It's too well protected and lacks multiple options for hiding or transportation" said Hinata as she read the available information on Vany.

"The man is getting old, really old; he must be around his four hundred years by now if record of his strikes is accurate. The guy is a legend for he is the only citizen of the Federation to successfully infiltrate the Uchiha home world and escape to tell the tale. Maybe he wants his end to be as exciting as his life" said Tayuya through the ships intercom as she piloted the ship through the blockade imposed by the Federation.

"Who cares? Once I get on his trail he won't escape and all those treasures will be ours!" said Naruto while adjusting his gauntlet to stun blows, he needed Vany alive after all.

Hinata sighed before Naruto's lack of interest for the target, he probably saw him as just a big fat target waiting to be captured.

"What kind of competition do we expect?" asked HInata to Tayuya who was getting her flute and a couple of auto pistols on its respective holsters as she returned to the fitting room.

"Tracking specialists and hunters, given the target I would say we will be up against real professionals. According to the guys from the blockade they are stopping every mercenary since they have a nasty predilection for heavy weapons and less than polite search policies. Authorities want to keep the Yaru as undisturbed as possible since they are some of the most peaceful #cough# boring #cough# guys in the galaxy" responded Tayuya but grimaced when saw Naruto powering up and down his gauntlet with a scary looking face.

"And where are we going to search for Vany?" continued Hinata ignoring the gleeful Naruto.

"All ships are being sent to the only spaceport of the central planet. According to the intelligence provided, Vany is hiding in one of the several bazar cities of the planet but only one has an spaceport and local laws forbid flights across the planet. So we get down and start searching. In my experience, fugitives often make themselves visible by how much effort they put to blend in or remain hidden; so we should stick close to experienced trackers and steal the prize from their very noses" said the proud scoundrel.

Grimacing before Tayuya's underhanded ways and Naruto's weird eagerness she once again took a look to their checkbook and decided to turn a blind eye just this once.

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Gami, the largest bazar city and widely considered the capital of the Yaru as this was the only city with diplomatic and commercial offices from the different species that made trade with them.

This large city has been adapted to store large amounts of food which will get loaded unto gigantic freighters ready to ship them to their clients. It's also the Yaru's gateway to trade and keep constant communication with the Federation.

But today it was the landing zone to one of the most exciting times for the Yaru since humanity's arrival for a parade of bounty hunters have been descending nonstop for three days making a parade of usually never seen characters and species from across the galaxy.

People was so excited that many were asked to take pictures and sign autographs as they paraded into the city to get a hang of operating in a rural world and acquire transportation and other means.

Lastly the Daring Fox descended on the port clearly being the last of the bounty hunters which meant that Naruto and his little team had a long road ahead of the to get on par with the other bounty hunters.

As expected a large crowd gathered to see the rather impressive vessel making its landing; and as soon as the ship's gate opened people welcomed them with music and cheers, enthusiastically welcoming Hinata and Tayuya as they got off took surveyed the place noticing how warm this planet really was.

Both were smothered by requests to take pictures and offerings of presents which Hinata politely declined and Tayuya greedily accepted.

But everyone turned their heads when Naruto came out of the ship sporting a sleeveless white shirt with black metallic braces on the wrists, black military issue cargo pants and a back pack. The Yaru were impressed by the man's height and his rather imposing presence but as soon as their eyes landed on his face their cheering and music stopped to a deadly silence. The trio were confused over the strange behavior but jumped back as soon as the people screamed in terror fleeing as quickly as they could, leaving several musical instruments and the presents they had brought for the spacers.

Not long afterwards human guards came running wondering what had happened at the rather peaceful welcoming ceremony.

"What's going on? Why the Yaru suddenly came by running as if chased by Satan himself" shout the guard's captain.

"Don't know. One second they were giving us a hero's welcoming and the next moment they started screaming and running" responded Tayuya as the guards surrounded then with non-lethal weaponry.

"I may be able to shed some light upon this rather embarrassing display of my people" spoke an aged Yaru who unlike his kin wasn't wearing their customary clothes but human made ones.

"I am Dock master Toru, chief administrator of Gami's spaceport and main liaison with the Federation. Allow me to welcome you all to our humble planet" said the short tanned man as he took a deep bow.

"Why did they run as soon as they saw Naruto?" Asked Hinata concerned over people treating Naruto like that.

The man got closer to Naruto and inspecting his physique and the markings on his faced made a nodding gesture and readdressed the group.

"That would be because your friend here eerily resembles the Star Demons of old. As our culture and tradition teaches, the Star Demons came once to our planet countless harvests ago and enslaved us forcing us to become farmers as to feed their endless war host as it traversed the Galaxy fighting other demons we assumed" said the man.

Naruto got very tense and somber looking while Tayuya seemed absorbed into the story.

Hinata on her side started to worry that Naruto's Feranian identity may be exposed and thus making their stay in this planet much more brief.

"The legend says they even kidnapped entire villages and took them to space, presumably to have them be farmers in other worlds. To us this was nothing but ancient legend, but when we found other Yaru inhabiting our neighboring planets, the story grew popular once again. We have very few records from those times though and most is oral tradition, very doubtful at best my friends" continued the short Yaru.

"Then why did Naruto reminded them of the demons?" asked Tayuya while looking closely at Naruto's face, trying to find something akin to a demon.

"That would be because of the ancient Scroll of the Beginning, an ancient tome of knowledge in which all the history of the Yaru have been written since the demons left. It's a gigantic scroll made of resistant fabrics and on the very beginning there is a rough depiction of how the leader of the demons looked like; the most telltale sign and reminder for our people are the markings on the face. Like scratches made by large claws, on both cheeks in sets of three. Everyone grows terrified of them in this world so they easily confused your friend with one of them due to his marks. But his looks more like whiskers from a small animal; blame the old superstitions" finished saying the Yaru while clearly snorting at his own people's lore.

On his side Naruto looked somewhat bothered and with something akin to shame on his eyes.

Hinata wanted to console him but the present crowd wouldn't allow her, she would have to find time to do so later.

"But I assume you aren't here to learn about my people's fairy tales. Like every one of our recent visitors you must have been drawn by the rumor of Vany making his last stand here. So let me tell you what we have told everyone else; the Federation wants this matter to be taken care of as discreetly as possible due to the target and respect for the locals" continued the man as he beckoned the trio to follow him out of the space port and into the city.

"The local garrison of Federation forces will register and give you the leads they have on Vany, be warned that you cannot harm or harass the locals for if you do you will face charges of threatening Federation's key resources and that's a minimum of forty years in prison. The Garrison is located at the city's main square; good hunting" finished saying the man as he doubled back and returned to the port.

The trio just doubled back and taking their things started to walk down the main street but soon enough they became very awkward as every person who caught sight of Naruto got very nervous or simply ran away causing a couple of accidents.

"Wow, just your presence makes disasters happen" said Tayuya as she saw the very painful collision of two large transports as they tried to avoid hitting an old lady running away from him.

"This is going to be a problem. We may need help fr4om the locals and Naruto will just scare them" said Tayuya dragging the other two into an alley.

"So what? We just go out there and hunt him straight! No need to get involved with these cowards!" responded Naruto looking agitated over that behavior.

"That won't do; remember what Toru said, if we bother the locals we will be arrested. We need the locals to at least not interfere with our hunt" said Hinata trying to calm him.

"I know! We just need to cover his whiskers right?" said Tayuya while grabbing Hinata's back pack and going through her things spilling them out.

Hinata tried to stop her since she was getting some of her clothes dirty and went red when some of her underwear landed on Naruto's hands.

"What are you looking Tayuya?" asked a barely contained Hinata as she quickly retrieved the underwear from Naruto's hands.

"This!" responded Tayuya holding Hinata's makeup kit

Hinata made and oh expression while Naruto's face twisted into one of terror.

Naruto attempted to flee but Hinata already catch his hand and gently pulled him back to sit on a box. For some reason Naruto didn't dare to escape from Hinata and just sat down so the girls could get to work on him.

"Just cover my marks, do not put anything else or I swear I will get back at you!" said Naruto as she didn't trusted Hinata and Tayuya's looks of amusement over his suffering.

"Don't worry, seeing your face like that is enough entertainment already. Alright don't move" said Tayuya as she attempted to apply the skin makeup on his right cheek.

As she gently started to rub his marks with the makeup, a purring sound made her stop.

"Did you just purred" said Tayuya with unbelieving eyes.

"They are very sensitive" shyly said Naruto.

This made Hinata blush with his cute display and Tayuya's face to lighten up.

"Really?" said Tayuya with a scary face.

She then started to apply more gently on his face earning more purrs and a couple of cute yelps from him. Tayuya only grew more excited as she had a huge blush on the face and Hinata couldn't stop her since she was also getting a bit entranced with the scene.

"Ah! Don't you think it's enough?" pleadingly said Naruto while holding Tayuya's hands.

Tayuya and Hinata got out from their stupor and inspected Naruto. Naruto was now whisker free and the pitting image of any other human out there if only a prettier glowing one.

Finally the trio got out from the alley and having changed Naruto's clothes a bit no one paid them any especial attention. With this they continued their way to the Federation outpost.

"Say Naruto why were you afraid of having makeup being applied to you?" said Tayuya still enjoying his previous suffering.

"Because in the academy Sakura chan used me as her test subject when she was learning about those things; it were endless nights of having chemicals placed on my face and some of them were of long duration so not even scrubbing it away worked, not to mention that scrubbing my cheeks was very painful. It left a trauma in me" said Naruto sighing.

"Mmm, but why were you so excited Tayuya?" casually asked Hinata wondering why Tayuya enjoyed it so much.

"That was some payback for what he did to me at Augya. I wanted him to feel the same for a chance" responded Tayuya making Naruto stop dead in his tracks.

"But he was fulfilling his duties, I don't think that is worth a payback is it?" replied Hinata defending Naruto's integrity.

"I don't think gr—mmmphf" tried to say back Tayuya but Naruto placed a hand on her mouth and dragged her a bit away from Hinata.

"Please don't say anything! I will owe you one favor if you do!" said Naruto.

"Any favor?" slyly said Tayuya.

"Anything!" replied Naruto.

"Fine, but I don't know why you care; I mean, you are quite shameless" said Tayuya going back to Hinata.

"It was just payback for catching me several times, it's good to have him under my thumb for a chance!" said Tayuya directing a thumbs down to Naruto, who in turn seemed to get depressed.

"How vindictive Tayuya, that won't land you a husband someday" said Hinata moving on towards the station leaving a fuming Tayuya, and a laughing Naruto behind.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

The trio finally made it to the Federation local garrison where a large crowd of Bounty Hunters was gathered outside while being observed by a wide security detail and an even larger crowd of Yaru waiting to see the following developments on their sudden exciting environments.

As they approached the officers were ushering in the hunters to a wide hall where they would be debriefed about the current leads on Vany.

A human officer addressed them with a loud voice "Alright you bunch of degenerates! The Federation has granted you the chance to serve others beyond yourself so shut up and listen!"

Hinata cringed with the man's harsh words but looking around every one seemed to take pride in them, especially Naruto and Tayuya.

"We believe Vany has come to this planet to steal the Scroll of the Beginning, an ancient tome of knowledge and sacred object of the Yaru. This particular item is extremely rare and invaluable since it's one of the oldest records in the galaxy as it records history from over fifty thousand Terran years ago! Even a bunch of monkeys like you must understand its value! In his arrogance, Vany has made a mistake and has allowed us to finally put a fence around him but given his many escapes, the higher ups decided to bring all the help available. If by any chance one of you manages to capture Vany alive we will not only pay you the reward but if we find his loot, you will receive a tenth of its value. In plain numbers you won't run out of money ever again, not even if you try to gamble it away!" continued the officer.

Everyone in the room got very excited and more than one caressed their weapons.

"But there are rules that every one of you must follow or else you will be punished harshly! The Yaru government does not want this turn their world into a huge battle zone so you are forbidden to use any lethal weaponry. You may question the Yaru, but restrain from using violence, you will find that good manners work wonders on the locals and finally, if a single grain of food is destroyed in your hunting, it's the slammer! That is all, remember the rules and also that if we catch Vany before you there is no reward!" finished saying the man as he instructed his men to give more detailed information about Vany's presence on this planet.

As Hinata went to receive the information a man tall as Naruto, got in line before her, as she intended to protest, he immediately turned around and spoke "Sorry there babe, didn't see you"

Hinata appraised him better, he had to red fang like tattoos running down his cheeks, sharp black eyes and deep brown messy hair. His physique was a bit less bulky than Naruto's but he seemed really strong clad in his hard leather clothes.

Taking a better look at Hinata, specially around her generous bust, the man smiled dandily and began "I am sorry but I didn't knew princesses took to bounty hunting these days"

Hinata couldn't help but feel somewhat embarrassed since it was the first person to actually consider her attractive enough as to flirt with her. For some reason Naruto just couldn't recognize that and she didn't wanted to count Sakura in such list.

"I am sorry too; I am here with my team to hunt for Vany as well. I hope we can get along no matter who catch him" said Hinata politely while the officer loaded the information on her data slate.

"I won't mind if you catch him beautiful, though its most likely me and my partners will get to him first. I don't like to presume but we are unbeatable and we have an advantage no one else has. But don't be depressed, I wouldn't mind sharing some of my reward with such a lovely princess" said the man leaning closer on the blushing Hinata.

"Like that's going to happen dog breath!" screamed Naruto pushing Hinata behind his back and confronting directly the man in front of him

"What did you say?" responded the man getting his hands in a claw like posture as his finger nails seemed to become thicker and sharp.

"What you heard dog breath! Trying to hit on girls with such lame lines! Seriously you haven't improved at all!" responded Naruto clenching his fists while not retreating a single step.

"She was so totally falling dude, in case you didn't watch!" replied the other.

"She is way out of your league mutt" dangerously replied Naruto.

"Mind saying that again?" responded the other while getting his face right in front of Naruto's.

Hinata was speechless as both men were about to tear each other, in part she wanted them to stop and step away but a part of her was joyful as Naruto was defending her honor and claiming her attentions for himself.

Just as both their fist and claw rose to start the fighting another voice came right from behind Hinata scaring the living soul from her.

"That would be against the rules we were just given Kiba, and the same applies for you Naruto" said a man that rose from the floor. Said man was covered in a large coat like suit that seemed to be more full than what the man inside should fill.

The man had a couple of goggle like sunglasses and from what someone could tell he was extremely pale.

Both dominating males stepped back from each other with confused looks.

"Naruto? Is that you?" said the other relaxing his demeanor.

"Took you long enough dog breath" replied Naruto serenely.

"You can't blame Kiba, Naruto; there is a lot of people here and you wearing makeup doesn't make it any easier to be recognized" calmly said the other man walking towards the other two.

"Would you please tell your redheaded friend to stop aiming at me with her pistol? It's rather scary" said the man to Naruto as Hinata turned to see that Tayuya had already her auto pistol held in two hands aiming directly at the back of the man with the coat.

Kiba on his side burst into laughter as he recognized Naruto's face "Man! Who would have said that Sakura's boy toy would end up swinging for the other team! Ha Ha Ha!" half screamed Kiba as Naruto went red with anger.

But before Naruto punched the living lights out of Kiba Hinata grabbed his arm calming him almost instantly.

Breathing in and out Naruto regained his composure and beckoning Tayuya to come closer he just asked one thing to the man in the coat "Who are you and how do you know me?

**AN: Another one at last.**

**Some things; It seems that I am just not capable of completing the first chapter of my new story so I chewed out a new one for this story in the meantime, just took me an afternoon.**

**Also I just bought a new ultra-powerful desktop to play games in the highest resolution so that kept me quite busy and transferring files form the old one took me some time.**

**And good news for me, I just landed a job so though I won't have much time to write I may become more focused to do things so curiously expect more updates and new stories!**

**Thanks so much for the loyal readers of "You came from a tale" for keeping up so far and as always any feedback is welcomed.**

**Read, E****njoy and Review.**


	12. Ancient Treasure

**Chapter 12: ****Ancient Treasure**

The man in the coat seemed a bit taken aback by Naruto's lack of knowledge about his identity, making him look a bit depressed.

"Can't believe you forget your classmates Naruto" said the man.

Kiba in turn stood by the man's side and said while pulling back the man's hood "This is Shino Aburame Naruto, can't believe you forgot how annoying he was!"

Naruto on his side scratched the back of his head "Oh right! Shino! How you been man?" not convincing anyone as he clearly didn't remember him at all.

"Anyway, you came here for the legendary thief then Naruto? The Federation has a unique chance to get one of the most infamous criminals and the best they send is the man who destroys everything in his path? I heard of your little stunt in Hysperia Majoris, had you done it right you would have been decorated but now every person on that planet whishes to skin you!" said a mocking Kiba to a fuming and annoyed Naruto as he went to take a seat on a table.

"You are only going to taunt me? Or do you have something better to do?" replied Naruto obviously not wanting to fall into that game again.

With a wolfish grin Kiba answered "Well, since we are old acquaintances, I was thinking we could team up for this one"

This took everyone except Shino by surprise, Naruto leant forward and asked in a serious tone "From what I remember you and I weren't exactly friends, why share the chance for glory? From what I do recall, you always wanted to call the attention and standout as much as you could with your skills"

Smiling Kiba replied "This is Shino's idea, not mine he is too shy to ask directly so I am doing the talking"

Shino coughed and added "It's not that I am shy, it's only that you always interacted better with Naruto. Let me explain, Vany may be trapped in this planet with the lockdown, but he chose a place where he can be a step ahead of us at all times. Foreign species are rare on these worlds and they stand too much among the Yaru given their build up, so he will see any bounty hunter coming from miles away. So our best strategy is to concert our efforts and find a way to locate him and corner him"

Hinata and Tayuya nodded in agreement with Shino's advice but Naruto slammed a hand and said "And how can I trust you guys? If I remember right, you two abandoned the academy a few months before graduation and no one saw you again. As far as I know you two just may snatch Vany for yourselves and leave us out of the glory!"

"And what other choice do you have Naruto? Do I need to remind you we were the best trackers of the class? Or that you were the dead last in every subject except hand to hand combat? This world is huge and Vany has evaded all sort of authority or bounty hunter in his three centuries of crimes. This is the best chance anyone has gotten so far to catch him, and the reward even split with every bounty hunter here is enough to retire at any age. I don't mind sharing it as long as we catch him" finished saying Kiba with a grin as he folded his arms and awaited a response from Naruto.

Naruto leant back and closing his eyes considered making Hinata and Tayuya wonder what would prevail, his pride or his small common sense?

Naruto opened his eyes and said "Fine, we work together, we share the reward and if you betray us I will make certain you will spend the money on reconstructive surgery!"

"Now we are talking! Aright Shino, share what we got" said Kiba inviting everyone else to seat at the table.

Shino's coat then shifted strangely and a couple of thin metallic arms sprouted from the coat's sleeves holding small retractable screens. In them a series of communication logs and other information was displayed "As we began landing procedures I sent my micro-bots to scour the city and attach themselves to the local communications network so I could have the city's entire infrastructure serve me. I have access to every security camera and registration log on the city so basically I know everything about everyone in this city, even as where they are standing at the moment"

Hinata and Tayuya were a bit freaked out with the alien machinery sprouting from under Shino's coat but were impressed with his proficiency in hacking the local systems. Hinata also wondered form which planet did this two hailed from.

"As a first step I managed to confirm that Vany or someone who fits his description effectively landed here about two Terran months ago and registered in the most luxurious hotel under an alias. He was unfortunate since a rookie officer identified him from the wanted posts delivered to every law enforcement agency. Vany went into hiding while the planet completely closed off and the Federation sent several warships to secure the entire sector" continued in his stoic voice as more arms sprouted and held more screens showing images of the Federation movements and the most recent footage of Vany's face and build up.

"Why the Federation took so long to post the news of his discovery?" asked Hinata.

"Because they brought an entire brigade to search the cities of the planet, and place guards around the valuables of the Yaru. But after two months of searching they gave up and decided to move in external help. I have records showing where the most thorough searches were conducted and where are the most likely targets for a thief of his repute" replied Shino.

"So we search the smaller towns then?" asked Tayuya.

"No, we go to the cities and places already searched. Vany is king among thieves, its logic to think that few would look again in place where others have already conducted a thorough search; so it's safe to assume he managed to evade capture and stood put in one place, preferably close to his target as he has never shied away from a challenge" continued Shino.

"Why would he do that? His likely targets are all under tight security" asked Naruto as he pushed away some of the screens he wasn't even looking at.

"Don't you remember anything about criminal psychology? Vany is the most daring thief in history, a man who managed to steal a piece of Madara Uchiha's DNA won't be scared by a few Federation guards. Besides he is in this for both the thrill and the treasure, for some reason none of Vany's stolen goods have resurfaced in private collections, mafia raids or black market bust, he keeps everything he has stolen in a secret stash. He isn't looking for wealth he is always in pursuit of a new target" replied Kiba with a mocking smile as Naruto coiled back a bit ashamed of his lack of knowledge about criminals.

"So what do we do? I don't think we will have better luck searching for Vany than a thousand soldiers" asked Tayuya not very enthusiastic after hearing just how good was Vany.

"We better track down his most likely target. When he goes for it, he will be at his most vulnerable moment. He won't be alone, but transporting the treasure so he will be slow and worried about an escape route" said Naruto finally understanding Kiba and Shino's strategy.

"Exactly, other museums and places had tight security but never expected anyone would dare to try and steal something from them, they never saw it coming, but this time we will be waiting and if we cant's catch him then no one in the universe will" continued Kiba.

"Any target comes to mind?" asked Naruto.

"From what I am seeing, Vany has a predilection for historical objects of great value. But a closer look and investigation shows that the objects he seeks contain information of some sort, perhaps on ancient knowledge or the leads towards his next goal. Vany doesn't pick random objects from what I gather with this information" said Hinata drawing everyone's attention as she navigated the screen on Shino's mechanical limb.

"Wow, that was fast Hinata!" said an impressed Tayuya as Hinata unknowingly went through the screens incredibly fast and her eyes shifted positions at an even faster rate.

Tayuya's comment broke Hinata's concentration and let go of Shino's screen. "What?" said an spooked Hinata as she went back to normal.

"You just went through a ton of information and processed it with a professional's expertise!" said an awed Kiba.

"It takes a considerable thought to deduce Vany's objectives, but seeing it from that perspective it give Vany a motivation for his crimes and the places where he strikes" continued Kiba.

"What do you think Shino?" asked Kiba only to see something he had never seen before in his long years working with the stoic man.

Shino was red faced and had further retreated into his coat hiding away every one of his mechanical limbs.

Kiba then got close to Shino "What's wrong buddy?"

"S-S-She touched my extensions! And very gently too!" said an embarrassed Shino.

"No way…" thought Kiba as he couldn't believe Shino would feel embarrassed over some touching his mechanical exo-skeleton.

"You are telling me that turn you on? I have tried to drag you into strip clubs and the like and not once did you ever showed any hint of being interested in girls! And all it takes is a girl touching that thing? God I wish I had known before, it was very awkward to pick up girls with you around, even when they wanted to go out with you!" excitedly whispered Kiba as Shino further retreated into his coat.

Kiba just laughed and let go of his friend but Hinata worried if she had said anything wrong and placed her face right in front of Shino's while bending a bit showing a bit of cleavage to the embarrassed man "Did I do something wrong? I acted without thinking and touched your things without permission, I am so sorry!"

Shino just got all red and a bit of steam came out from his coat making Tayuya jump back totally freaked out

"Y-Y-You didn't do anything wrong! You actually used it properly and with care, I am honored someone cares for treating technology right!" exclaimed Shino in an ever decreasing voice.

Hinata didn't manage to hear right and got closer to Shino making a small explosion sound within his coat and a some smoke com out, as he stumbled unconscious to the ground.

Hinata yelled and flailed around scared she just had killed the poor Shino but Kiba placing a hand on her shoulder said with a playful smile "Don't worry, he will be fine, he just had a lot to deal with…"

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

After Shino recovered and got his systems back on line the group exited the Federation's garrison and decided to make way for the local Yaru government office. At the exit of the building a large white dog with cybernetic implants met with them and immediately started to interact with Kiba who seemed to understand everything the dog barked at him.

Naruto explained to Hinata and Tayuya that Kiba hailed from Canya, world covered in long grasslands where the locals developed several canine like features and a symbiotic relationship with the several canine species that thrived on that world. Their history was full of great moments where their faithful Canyan hounds always appeared, from their first flight to their first encounter with humanity whom to their delight also had a close relationship with their own dogs.

Canyan technology developed to a point in which both the humanoid and the canine started to understand each other and cooperate for everything they did. Eventually Canyans saw that through technological advancements they could expand the life span of their partners and even integrate some of their own sensory functions with them creating a true bond of life and experience.

Canyans have earned a well trusted position in the Federation as their contributions have led to improve security forces, law enforcement agencies and rescue efforts in all kind of situation. They were hailed as heroes after their brutal defense of an important telecommunications array during the forming of the Uchiha Pact over three hundred years ago.

On the other side Naruto remembered that Shino was a Tentonian, a rather reclusive but advanced species which developed in an insect dominated planet. They were the only humanoids on the planet as the rest of the mammals on the planet were prey to gigantic and terrifying insect life forms.

Their species, in order to survive such a cruel environment started to mimic the insects and soon enough managed to subdue them and use them to further develop their own species. One of their main particularities was that even from ancient times; the Tentonians had started to create mechanical limbs that would help them with their everyday tasks making them very much alike to the insects that inhabited their home world.

Over the pass of centuries and given their love for mechanical and technological trinkets they were contacted by humanity to join the Federation. This opened the gate for the Tentonians to learn everything about the advanced robotics of other species and apply it to their own technological innovations which led to every Tentonian having their own set of exo-skeletons made with a native resilient but flexible metal. This in turn further weakened their bodies making them support operatives, more than front liners.

Hinata and Tayuya nodded in eager interest as Naruto relayed his accounts of the other two species, after all he did picked some things about others. You never know when you will need to know their weaknesses…

As the group made way for the Government office the dog went over to Hinata and though the creature was rather imposing Hinata didn't flinched and instead petted the dog earning happy powerful barks from the dog.

"The name's Akamaru, he has been with me since I can remember and has gotten me out of many problems. If you like him that means you are a most caring and wonderful person" said Kiba with wise pose.

"Still pulling the puppy trick? Don't you think he is too big already for that?" said Naruto in mocking tone making Kiba growl and get on his face with a challenging smile.

But before the two could get back on it Hinata said "Really Akamaru? Alright, hope the guys don't get jealous" and just like that gave a small kiss to Akamaru's nose.

Kiba and Naruto were left frozen as Akamaru passed them by with Hinata by his side. Tayuya saw them and laughing said "You could learn a thing or two dickheads!"

Naruto and Kiba got depressed and followed the others into the building.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Once inside the government office the group was attended by a young female Yaru who almost ran upon seeing the imposing figure of the visitors but after being scolded by her superior she went back and apologized.

They asked about who might know more of the Yaru's ancient relics to which they were pointed to the Lore Keeper, an ancient title given to those who care and record Yaru's history from ancient times.

The group then was directed to the Vault of Memory which was something of a museum or a school for those willing to listen to the long and often boring story of the Yaru, across fifty thousand years of recorded history. As they traveled Akamaru registered every scent possible as Kiba explained it would help them locate a strange scent when close.

The Vault was a rather plain building made of incredibly thick stone, steelwork and simple architecture, having as a goal, to last for as long as the Yaru exist. The place was filled with ancient looking scrolls, old paintings of various styles and ruined tools.

To their encounter came the most old looking Yaru they have seen so far, he was dressed in green ceremonial robes and walked with a wooden staff in the shape of the overgrown bulls the Yaru used in days past to plow the fields.

"Rare to see anyone visiting the Vault, especially off worlders; Tell me how can I help such fine guests?" said in a weak voice the old Lore Keeper.

"Good day to you sir, as you probably can guess we have come for the purpose of catching the famous thief Vany; but given the nature of this criminal's behavior we believe our best chance to catch him is when he comes to get what he wants" replied Hinata in the most courteous tone possible knowing that none of her companions would have the proper skill to properly address an erudite.

"Yes I have heard about this thief and the bounty hunters they brought to catch him. Let me tell you young lady nothing good comes to the Yaru from the people who inhabit the stars beyond the twin suns; they brought us misery and slavery fifty thousand years ago and they brought us decadence and forgetfulness about a thousand years ago" said the man referring to both the Star demons and Humanity when they each came from the skied to greet the Yaru.

"I am sorry if our presence offends you in any way but unlike the bounty hunters out there, me and my companions work for the law and our duty is to catch this thief before he gets what he wants" answered Hinata hoping to make the Lore Keeper a collaborator instead of an obstacle.

"Fine young lady, what can I help you with? The many relics and scrolls of the Yaru barely have any value beyond our worlds, I can't conceive what this thief may want from us?" said the Keeper as he took a seat while assisted by Hinata.

"We have analyzed Vany's methods and targets, and have come to the conclusion that he seeks objects of historic relevance but also contain a large amount of information. To what purpose does he steals what he steals is still a mystery though. He is known for a couple of very daring thefts and suspected of thousands more across the galaxy in three hundred years. We believe with certain confidence that Vany's next target should be something similar" explained Hinata while giving a mug of tea to the Keeper.

"Mmm, I think I understand young lady. But most of our scrolls speak only of local incidences, our history with the rest of the universe began a thousand years ago but we have barely changed since then, the only significant change has been in entertainment and the machinery lent to us to increase the size of our harvests" replied the Keeper as he did his best to remember any significant.

Hinata also gave it a thought, Vany wouldn't want records of harvests and local incidences of the Yaru across millennia he would want something else.

"Unless he seeks information about the Star Demons…" whispered the Keeper with fear in his voice.

"We have heard about them but so far we have little information regarding that legend" answered Hinata knowing that it may be speaking of Naruto's people.

"You only heard the digested part of it young lady for some things are better known by a few…If this thief is truly looking for information about the Star demons then he must be stopped at all costs!" exclaimed the old man getting agitated.

Hinata grew alarmed over the Keeper's behavior and turned around to se her companions who to her relief and something of disappointment were looking at the various objects as she continued with her debriefing.

"You mean that Vany may try to steal the Scroll of the Beginning? Hinata asked, remembering the words from the Garrison.

"Maybe, but not the one at the central museum, that's a trinket to lure tourists and show to kids. If Vany is as good as his reputation then he probably knows that the real scroll is not even a scroll, but a massive and ancient logic machine…" said the man raising Hinata's interest further.

"A logic machine? You mean like a computer?" Hinata asked.

"Yes but old as our history and as sophisticated as anything the humans may build, for it has been working for over fifty millennia recording everything that happens on this world automatically, we the keepers have been watching over it since it was brought by the Star Demons. My ancestors were trained to use them and keep them running, the only one still working is the one from this planet as the others were forgotten and eventually destroyed when the Star Demons left and never returned" continued the man.

"And why do Vany may want it? He can't steal it and the information in it only regards the Yaru and their chronicles?" Hinata asked trying to figure out Vany's goal.

"That's true but it also has the accounts of the Star Demons as they enslaved our population for a thousand years. And the most important thing is that the Logic Computer was linked to the ones from the Star Demons, when they left the link was shut down and so it has been our purpose to keep that link shut or at least be warned for when they return. If Vany is a knowledge hunter he may be wanting to know about that, if for some reason that link is reestablished then, I don't really know, maybe the demons will return or nothing may happen. Still it's a risk we can't take!" finished saying the man as he went back to the backroom from where he came.

Hinata stood back on her feet and saw that her companions were still distracted browsing over the many trinkets of the Yaru. Still she managed to catch Naruto staring at her intensely, something told her he had listened to it all and shared the same worries as she.

The keeper returned and gave Hinata an object enveloped in fine green silk and told her that it was the key to the real Vault where the Logic machine was interred. The Keeper told her to try and catch the thief but that is needed they could destroy the machine, better to lose a data base which was already printed than summon the old tormentors of this world.

Hinata just made one final question "I am sorry if this offends you but why do you trust us with this? We are off worlders and we may not be trustworthy"

"Girl, with age, you learn a couple of things about people the moment you see them besides you belong to that Justicar's retinue right? Years ago I met one and though he was a giant pervert who even sought some of our women, he helped my people a lot with a band of corrupt Federation officers and some counselors. If there is anyone to be trusted, that is a Justicar!" said the man offering a smile to Hinata who replied with one of her own.

As Hinata walked out, the entire group fell in line with her though none spoke much since, in their own waysm they have heard everything the old keeper said and had many different thoughts about it.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

The Keeper's small trinket turned to be some sort of device of strange design and sturdy composition making it somewhat heavy for its size but of rather simple use. The silk in which it was enveloped turned out to be a map with the location of the real Vault where the Logic machine was stored.

The group was discreet when asking for transportation as apparently a lot of bounty hunters have begun to make their own questioning and had reached similar conclusions as to what may drive Vany to act, fortunately most of them stuck to museums and security deposits where valuables were stored, others who seemed more proficient in their insights had taken to guard monuments and libraries with ancient tomes. But there were a significant amount of them overseeing the exits and communications of the city hoping to get a lead and perhaps snatch Vany from another bounty hunting party.

Shino had managed to disable the security cameras and alter the logs so their exit wouldn't be noticed as they left using an all terrain truck that would take them to their destination. To their surprise, Tayuya could drive even these old rusty powerful trucks with ease so Naruto thanked again for making her his multirole pilot.

The travel would take them around five hours so they would be expecting to reach the location by nightfall at best. Hopefully Vany would still be having problems to locate the place and figure out what to do with such a device as an ancient computer, though Naruto did mention that even if Vany located the place, it would probably take him a lot of effort to get in; the last comment made everyone curious as to why would Naruto make such an affirmation to what he just said that it was a hunch though Hinata noticed how Naruto moved his fingers over the device.

Naruto observed the device with something Hinata identified as akin to nostalgia or longing; she wanted to ask Naruto but the loud cramped vehicle made for a poor environment and Kiba and Shino have been very quiet since leaving the Vault at the city. There was something suspicious in those two though she didn't think they intended any harm to them, whatever it was it would reveal itself in due time; for the time being sleeping seemed like a good option.

**Five hours later…**

Hinata was awakened by the sudden lack of movement from the truck as Tayuya signaled that they were on location and the truck needed to cool down or else it wouldn't be able to carry them back.

Shino confirmed that no one followed them so they were safe to operate in the area but to their surprise the only thing they found was a large boulder like formation in the middle of nowhere. The group dispersed to look for something akin to an entrance but not even Kiba or Akamaru's senses managed to point an entrance.

Naruto just walked towards the boulder and placing his hand next to it his body began to emit pulses of energy lifting dirt and dust around him.

This was the first time in a long while that Hinata saw Naruto's psionic powers but this time she was capable of feeling the intensity and size of it. But the truly terrifying part of it was that Akamaru was whimpering in fear while hiding behind an immobile Kiba who watched the sheer power being unleashed to clear the area.

The other thing that made Hinata nervous was the look on Naruto's face it was without a trace of the laughing Justicar she has grown accustomed, instead it was like sculpted on a stone as the power flowed out of him in those blue pulses.

After several minutes of pulsing the entire area was cleared and everyone went surprised as they noticed that they were standing on top of a metallic surface with several unknown carvings on it. The boulder had cracked and it showed something similar to the shaft of a really old elevator and a standing panel with an empty slot.

Naruto unwrapped once more the metallic device and slid it into the slot of the machine while pressing a few buttons.

At first nothing happened but the panel lit up and a loud shifting noise made everyone get on guard; soon enough a platform erupted from the shaft and a small rail allowed people to get on.

Naruto didn't flinched at all and stepped on the platform and addressing everyone else with an authoritarian tone he commanded "Get on…"

Hinata turned to see at Tayuya who gulping down her worries nodded back to her and went to the platform. Kiba and Shino nodded to each other and also got on board.

"Hey Naruto, how did you knew all this was hidden here?" asked Kiba trying to lighten up the sudden serious mood.

"Justicar business…" growled back Naruto not interested in even speaking to the Canyan.

"Naruto?..." timidly asked Tayuya, but when Naruto directed her his intense stare she directed her gaze to her feet and remained silent.

Hinata on her side had a lot of things going through her mind, she had by now guessed that the Star Demons probably were Naruto's ancestors and they probably left this whole still functioning installation behind. Still this behavior was all to strange even for her, she had begun to fear that just being close to Feranian objects were enough to warp Naruto into the feared monsters the Yaru still remembered.

But Naruto's gaze was full of concentration and somewhat close to worry. On the other hand Kiba and Shino stared at the amazing structure of metal that surrounded them as they descended deep into the earth.

Finally the platform stopped sharply making everyone but Naruto almost fall from it, apparently the technology was still functional but it didn't meant it ran smoothly.

Naruto descended and quickly went to a side of the room disappearing from everyone else's sight. Shino pulled out several mechanical arms with lights on them shedding a powerful white light on the room.

The room was very dusty and everything that stood from the ground was covered with long white sheets decorated with several Yaru scriptures. From what Hinata gathered the most repeated words on them referred to pleas of mercy and secrecy.

A loud bang made everyone get on guard and draw out their weapons, but as they wondered about the source of the noise, amber lights on the roof and the walls illuminated the room revealing its contents fully to its visitors.

Naruto came back at a hurried pace and started to pull off the sheets covering the structures beneath them, but seeing so many of them he barked at the others "Remove the sheets!"

Tayuya jumped to it while Kiba and Shino started to do the same more hesitantly fearing the place could be rigged to explode. Naruto went from one uncovered structure to the next lighting up everything back to light and to Hinata's surprise every machine was answering correctly despite the ancient looks.

It didn't took long for every machine within the room to be operating anew and transmitting data between each other, every light was on and several doors had opened. The air has also started to feel fresh indicating that the whole installation was working properly.

Naruto was now standing in front of the main machine scribbling away on it with uncharacteristic ease as everyone else just stood there watching at the screen and the unknown symbols and the few words their translation nano-machines allowed them to understand.

The words referred to food shipments, supply lines, revolts, high fathers and battle fleets; none of this terms meant anything to them, except Hinata who did recognized the Battle fleets, the home of the Feranians. This was indeed a Feranian structure and apparently it went back to life as one of its children had come back to reclaim it.

Naruto saw the screen one last time and stretching his back allowed a long sigh to escape his mouth "Man was I worried! Good thing this place has so little on it!"

Hinata and everyone else went a bit confused as Naruto apparently was back to his old self and pressing a few buttons as he was finishing his own inquiries.

"W-W-What was all that you dickhead?" asked an enraged Tayuya as small tears threatened to leave her eyes. Hinata knew that Tayuya was just relieved to see Naruto back to his old self and not that soulless walking powerhouse.

"Hah hah, sorry about that Tayu chan, everything is alright. We should worry though about laying a proper trap for that Vany guy" said Naruto in his usual easy going attitude making Tayuya nod rather happily as she went about to see for good hiding spots and places to locate sensors.

"Say Naruto, what did you just do? You seemed to be rather familiarized with this technology, is it Feranian?" asked Shino while scanning the entire place.

"Yeah, but nothing great, just an abandoned computer used for logistics; I feared it might have been something else and I would have to blow it sky high and make a run for it out of this world" said Naruto casually as he got about to power down the machines.

Before Hinata could get close to Naruto and have a word with him, Akamaru let out a loud howl as several of his implants flared in lights and warning signals.

At this everyone got to Akamaru as Kiba said "Get on guard! We've got company!" making everyone form a defensive circle with a varied assortment of weapons or short ranged instruments.

The air started to smell of ozone and before long, lightning bolts started to strike the interior of the metal coated installation. The lightning bolts started to focus at the center of the room and a ball of light formed as one last flash blinded everyone.

At the center of all that activity stood a man sustained by mechanical limbs like those belonging to Shino though they were much thicker and in black. The man was encased in a power armor of sorts and a large backpack still emitting small lightning bolts.

Naruto's eyes grew wide and before long launched himself at the intruder, but the man used one of his mechanical limbs to swing away Naruto with ease.

"Where are your manner's boy?" said a robotic voice as his mechanical legs stomped the ground turning to address the other hunters.

Hinata moved quickly to check on Naruto while Tayuya opened fire furiously with her auto pistols only to have her bullets deflected by a strong kinetic shield covering the mechanical abomination.

"Seriously, youth these days is so disrespectful!" said again the man unleashing a powerful blast of energy that sent everyone flying against the walls.

The man didn't seemed to lose time and quickly got to the main computer that Naruto just finished tinkering with, and to everyone's amazement he started to navigate through it with the same ease as Naruto's.

Naruto saw this as he was being helped back to his feet by Hinata while the rest started to recover from the blast. Naruto's eye grew wide when a large icon was displayed on the screen and in a heartbeat he had pushed Hinata aside as he had begun to run towards the man with his gauntlet glowing intensely.

The man's smile grew widely as one of his mechanical limbs was about to insert itself in a slot of the machine only to gasp as a powerful strike from behind smashed his face against the screen which amazingly didin't shatter.

Naruto's gauntleted hand was buried within the back pack of the man and quickly enough lightning bolts started to strike the room once again. The man rocked around violently trying to get a hold of Naruto, but the young Feranian didn't let go and remained firmly attached to his back trying to get his hand out of the back pack.

"Naruto!" screamed Hinata as she got a really bad feeling as she dodged the lightning bolts.

"We have to get him off his back!" screamed Kiba as he had to take cover with Akamaru behind another structure.

Tayuya was about to jump close to the thrashing beast but was pulled out of the way by Shino's mechanical limbs before a lightning bolt struck her "It's too dangerous; We have to use other means" coolly said Shino trying to get an idea and keeping Tayuya still as she tried to get free.

"Let me go! We have to help him!" said Tayuya as she couldn't get off from Shino's grip.

To Hinata's horror the lightning bolts started to concentrate and strike Naruto who screamed in pain but remained alive and conscious. Naruto opened his eyes and caught sight of Hinata as she tried to get close.

"Blow this place up! Was all he managed to say before he and the robotic beast were engulfed in lightning and disappeared in a loud explosion of light leaving a burnt mark on the ground.

As quickly as it had begun it was now over, some amber lights were blown, there were several burnt marks on the walls and some of the machines. The main computer was still displaying the icon that the beast had managed to acquire; closer inspection revealed that the icon was actually made by countless smaller symbols of alien nature. The large icon had a similar shape to that of some sort of animal's skull.

But the group ignored this for the moment and got close to the large burnt mark on the ground, Hinata nodded for Kiba and Shino but both had already conducted searches for Naruto's whereabouts and grimly made her understand that they got nothing.

She carefully observed the place wanting to have her eyes work again but the sight of Tayuya's form kneeling in the center of the mark got her attention first.

Tayuya whispered softly "He is gone…but he wanted me by his side…he left me behind…he lied to me… HE IS GONE!" turning her last words into a shrieking scream that made everyone cringe with pain as it raised to a supersonic note.

Akamaru and Kiba wailed in pain as their enhanced senses made them more susceptible to such attacks while Shino placed his hands on his ears and dragged his companions away from the desperate horned girl as her cry kept going.

But Tayuya went silent as Hinata delivered a carefully placed strike to the base of her skull making her go unconscious with tears on her eyes.

Hinata also had tears running down her face but she had one last order to carry on, time for tears and mourning would have to wait a bit longer.

**AN: I am back baby!**

**Hello everyone! First than anything I apologize for the terribly long time it took me to update this story but so much has happened in the past months. New computer, new job and a new story kept me very busy.**

**I promise to update more regularly but juggling three stories it's more complicated than it sounds as I am currently writing the first chapter of my fourth story. Inspiration can be a bitch sometimes!**

**I will do my best to keep this story updated more often though it will be a challenge.**

**Hope you like this new addition and remember…**

**Read, Enjoy and Review!**


	13. Truth is my treasure

**Chapter 13: Truth is my treasure.**

A lone ship orbiting the Yaru's world came back to life as its instruments detected renewed activity on its interior. Air circulators began to purify the atmosphere and lights began to glow its empty halls. The "Seeker of Truth", an old but elegant ship of Treelian design was getting ready for her master's return.

Lightning bolts struck the copper coated room with the engraved words "Nothing shall stop me in my quest, for the truth is the noblest of all causes" on its roof in a circular pattern.

The lightning bolts struck fiercely for a few moments and finally two bodies were projected against the room's walls with a thunderous explosion. Robots came quickly and went straight to aide their master as the other body remained still as smoke rose from it.

It didn't took long for both figures to stir and try to regain their composure as quickly as they could for the first standing had the best chance of winning this bout.

"Seriously, what's wrong with today's youth!" half screamed the mechanical beast as used one of his robots to stand and get his mechanical limbs back to work.

"You tell me old man! Who the hell are you?" replied Naruto as he rose again igniting his gauntlet despite the spasms crossing his body over the electrical shock sustained before.

Naruto managed to see the beast more carefully and saw a man standing in the middle of that technological nightmare. The face was that of the thief Vany though it looked much older and paler than in the picture shown to him, and he held a quizzical look to himself.

"How did you survive that boy? Those lightning bolts should have roasted you alive" said the man in a much more composed tone as apparently he had no intentions of fighting Naruto.

"First class Justicar Naruto Uzumaki! And you are under arrest for plenty of crimes and pissing me off!" barked Naruto as he charged the man with his fully ignited gauntlet; Only to get caught in some sort of stasis field as he stood on top of a blue circle in the middle of the room.

"What the…?" said Naruto as he stood immobile trapped and incapable of setting foot to move. He grew curious as this kind of technology was still experimental on the Federation, as a matter of fact the teleporting device was not even a considered possibility for the Federation for it was accepted that mass teleportation was impossible and within the realm of the gods.

Knowing he no longer had an advantage Naruto stopped attempting to get out of the stasis field and addressed the man, who was now getting out of his mechanical suit but before he could utter his questions the man spoke.

"Michael Alexander Albert Constantine Vany at your service Justicar, though you must know me more commonly as Vany the legendary thief. Seriously there is no respect for anyone anymore" said the man as he got on a floating chair on of his robot attendances brought.

"You probably have a ton of questions but there is little time, your followers are getting ready to blow that fine Feranian installation and I am afraid I can't allow it, at least not yet that is" said the man as his chair began to float away and the device on which Naruto was trapped followed suit.

"And what exactly do you want with that Feranian thing?" asked Naruto worried that this man may know certain things.

"Just another lead towards something greater boy; Should you have allowed me to retrieve it I would be far away from here by now and you would have done whatever you wanted with that place" continued the man as he travelled ahead of Naruto through the polished halls of the ship.

"And what is that exactly?" asked Naruto again.

"Hah! Are you certain you are a Justicar? For you make as many questions as my students did once. My goal is to find the greatest treasure of them all, but sadly it has eluded me for three centuries now" continued the man as they reached the bridge of the ship which had a view of the planet bellow, where both had been just a few moments before.

Vany began to press several buttons and more lights came to life as Naruto was placed on a corner from which he could only observe.

"I'll try to contact your friends and persuade them of delaying their destructive endeavor though I may have to blow them up if they don't heed me" warned Vany as the telecommunication systems of the vessel began to calibrate.

"I have to commend you though boy, without you entering and activating the installation I would have never been able to enter it for its defenses are rather formidable despite being fifty thousand years old. When that young guard caught sight of me, I had been unable to acquire the key to enter and with all those brutes descending on the planet, I didn't wanted to get the poor Yaru involved" said the man sending an amused look to Naruto making him try to get out and crush the man, but the stasis field negated him any movement.

"So I figured that the Federation would send one of its fabled Justicars to do a more proper job; I knew that a true detective would try to figure out my intentions and eventually be led to my target by those foolish Keepers. Though I have to say I am rather impressed, you entered the installation with great ease and even got the place up and running in a thought! Justicars are truly impressive I have to say!" continued the man as he also began to calibrate his weapons as long range targeting devices began to take aim upon the surrounding area of the installation where they had left the truck and probably were unloading explosives.

Naruto knew he had little time to do something before his friends and those two bounty hunters got blown up with orbital strikes, so he needed to give time to Hinata to finish her job. Knowing he was against the ropes he decided to disclose some information to Vany.

"I didn't manage to get the place up and running because I am a Justicar but because that place belongs to me!" screamed Naruto effectively drawing Vany's attention.

"What did you say boy?" said Vany getting close to Naruto who was still floating.

"I said that the whole installation sort of belongs to me since I am a Feranian! You truly believe anyone would start up such a place so fast?" continued Naruto glad that his strategy was working.

"Really now?; Then you wouldn't have much trouble proving it. The Federation is aware of "your" people and has dealings with them, but so far "your" people have been very secretive of their ways, their history and their technology. But as a historian like myself I have found some things that no other eyes in the Federation have seen, and one of those things is a Feranian prayer left behind in a death world on a tomb. Would you be so kind as reciting it for me?" said Vany with an interested but dangerous look.

Naruto knew which prayer he was referring to, and though his mother had forbid him of sharing Feranian culture without her approval he was running out of time.

"Rest easy now brother, proud child of Ferania for your task is done and you go back to her grasslands to hunt and laugh. Your sacrifice brings us joy and tears as we lay your arms by your side and take your armor to shroud us in your courage. The high fathers smile upon you as they set you free, hunt and laugh brother as you wait for us all" recited Naruto with a look o longing to him as if the prayer reminded him of somewhere better.

Vany on his side smiled broadly as if all his prayers have been answered in a single moment, even tears threatened to leave his eyes. Soon enough a very joyous laugh came from his old frame and filled the rather empty vessel with some much needed life.

Naruto just wondered what the hell was wrong with the man; he had expected him to be cowering in fear of having one of the genocidal warriors of old in front of him.

"Boy! I mean, lord Naruto so you truly are a Feranian! I have been wanting to meet your people for so long, I can barely believe I would find one in such a way! I can't express my gratitude to the fates! I knew my quest was worthy!" shouted Vany amidst laughs of joy.

By bow Naruto was beyond freaked out, just what the hell is this guy thinking.

Seeing the confused expression on Naruto's face, Vany coughed while trying to calm down "I am so sorry lord Naruto, it's only that emotion overwhelmed me. I haven't been this excited since when I started my quest! I am so sorry for the rough treatment but my quest have led me through a path in which ruthlessness was quite an effective tool"

Growing confused and somewhat glad that this man found him so interesting he said "And what exactly is this quest of yours? Why spend three centuries of your life on it?"

"Ah! because it's the most worthy cause of them all! The answer! The absolute truth about everything that this galaxy is and why it is! Three centuries ago I was a renowned historian of the Federation at its academy, already in my first hundred years of life I felt myself quite accomplished as I had an extensive knowledge of history of nearly every sentient species in the Federation and was constantly sought out by scholars of other worlds, no man could ask for more!" said the man joyously remembering the past.

"Then the Uchiha began their hateful war of sundering, which was a brief but devastating conflict. A conflict which I predicted since Uchiha history indicated so, though I was taken by an alarmist back at the time. I still remember the looks of regret of those fools who refused to listen; I was elevated to the position of advisor of the first Magisters you know?" continued Vany as apparently it has been long years since he last spoke to another in such confidence.

"But I am getting astray; the thing is that during the reconstruction efforts I volunteered to help preserve historical artifacts and other treasures from planets ravaged by the war. And among the vast collection of articles and the excavations made to clear huge explosion made by orbital strikes I started to notice fundamental similarities that very few would have noticed, and at last Feranian objects were unearthed in one of the most punished worlds" continued Vany while showing Naruto his pendant which was a small luck amulet worn by front line warriors, by Naruto's estimate and handiwork, it was made by a child with Feranian carving tools.

"Many just said that it was part of an ancient local civilization but I knew better and so I began to search for similar items among the destruction of the war, and I found many, buried deep and in very difficult places! But my conclusive evidence came when I found the tomb I mentioned; intact and perfectly preserved, bones and dust was all I found but the scriptures, the materials and the decorations indicated that an alien species had travelled to that world and left behind one of their own" said Vany while moving his chair from one place to another.

"I tried to present my evidence and theories but rival historians had risen to higher positions while I obsessed over my lengthy investigation. In the end I was dismissed as nothing more than a lunatic trying to make a comeback after a delusional period. But I knew I was right so for a time my quest was to prove it beyond any doubt" continued Vany as he searched in his database for a file.

"But my quest changed once I found a second Feranian tomb, a much larger one and highly ornate! But the truly intriguing part was the cloth hanging upon the bones of the departed" said Vany as he showed the picture of a cloth with pictures finely sewn on it.

The pictures depicted winged creatures giving light to humble looking humanoid creatures.

Naruto recognized the picture and involuntarily he said "High Fathers…"

"Exactly! That brought me a new theory, a much crazier one but a very believable! Given the surrounding facts of the galaxy that is" continued Vany as he displayed several new pictures of his own creation.

"The galaxy we inhabit today is a very strange place where most of its sentient species are of humanoid design, and not only that of very similar construct to each other, so similar in fact that through simple genetic manipulation one can have children with another without much problem. Many researchers have attributed this unique event to life being planted by space debris of organic matter coming from a different world" explained Vany changing pictures in front of Naruto at a pace he couldn't comprehend.

"But this theory is rather weak since the number of worlds with humanoid life is beyond the possibility of a single world of organic matter. Not to mention that many cultures evolved at similar rates, as if their history began at the same time or close to each other. Distances and locations make this impossible to sustain not to mention that most worlds can sustain different life forms not caring about the origin!" continued Vany at an increasing pace.

"Religion is more accurate on this matter than science will ever be! The worlds are all so conveniently placed in perfect locations where humanoid life can evolve and thrive rather easily and each world can sustain foreign populations of other humanoids! Coincidence? Not a chance I say! Statistics prove me right at every turn of my quest!" vehemently continued Vany.

"What are you talking about? What's the big deal with the galaxy being full of humanoids, isn't that cool or something?" asked Naruto getting annoyed as he couldn't keep up with the demented historian.

"Cool? It's fantastic! For my quest proves me right again when I consider the alien species of the Yordan veil…Ancient and highly advanced species of creatures that for some reason despise humanoid life forms beyond the few conflicts the Federation has waged against them. With their level of advancement they should have conquered us a long time ago, besides there is documented evidence that some worlds used to belong to them. It's almost as if they were pushed into the Yordan veil by force" said Vany earning Naruto's attention with that last piece of information.

"Then one of the final pieces of the puzzle, the Feranians; a myth during my long centuries of searching and just a few decades ago proven not only real but alive! Feranians are in my opinion the first elevated humanoid species of them all! Humanity was barely starting to master its lands when the Feranians first took to space! But for what purpose? You may claim simply that it was war but it was much more than that boy, your species was chosen and perfected beyond the measure of anything possible today! Armed and sent to wage war against the horrors of the galaxy" said Vany proud of himself as the pictures enthralled Naruto.

"The war of the High Fathers…"whispered Naruto.

"Yes, their war… But against who? A horror so great and numerous that not even a race capable of seeding life could defeat. And this is as long as I go Naruto, who are the High Fathers? What was that horror? And why did your species suddenly collapsed into decay? As you can see my quest is far from being over and many questions remain unanswered" finished saying Vany to an exhaust looking Naruto.

"Is this why you steal?" asked Naruto trying to keep Vany's attention to himself.

"My quest goes to the very heart of our purpose in life, goes to answer why do we exist? The ultimate truth that leaves everyone else in second place! What I have been stealing with so much effort are the secrets many great men and women across the Galaxy have kept hidden fearing their power and the sundering impact it would have on lesser ones! That's why I keep them to myself, to guide me down the ultimate path and perhaps someday share what I learn with everyone, I am certain these great men and women I have taken from will forgive me if I succeed" concluded Vany.

"To be honest I don't get much of what you said, my people are warriors foremost! But my mother once told me that the High Father's left for a reason no mortal is supposed to learn. You are a wanted criminal and my job is to get you" said Naruto focusing trying to get his psionic aura to ignite.

"But young Feranian, didn't the High Fathers abandon your kind in the first place? Don't you want to know why? Isn't your species suffering a long agony as their hearts rage with fire and unable to find peace? The High Father's may hold the answer to save them…" said Vany making Naruto's eyes grow wide.

"How?..." asked a dumbstruck Naruto.

"I am a seeker of secrets; I managed to acquire a large number of them from many sources within the Federation. The federation desperately wants a way to get your technology because they know that your species is doomed, they seek weaknesses with which to bring you to your knees and make you yield your power. Others seek the perfection you have been granted so they can escape death a bit longer. Justicar you claim to serve the Federation but every medical checkup they do, every test, every mission is just another test to see just how far they have to go in order to get what they want…" continued Vany clearly being cleverer than Naruto.

"Lies!" screamed Naruto not wanting to believe Vany's words.

"Don't ever accuse me of lying Justicar! My whole life is about the search of truth no matter how painful it is! In your prayers you wish the High Fathers return to restore your people but they don't listen! I am searching for them beyond my soul, in a way I want to save your species!" screamed Vany.

Naruto casted his head down not wanting to believe but he knew how hard it was for his people to contain the rage and move forward, his people lifted prayers to the High Fathers in hope of being restored or forgiven of their sins.

"Are you close?" asked Naruto

"Sadly no Naruto, their whereabouts still elude me as all the evidence I have on them comes from your species and no one else. Your species was the last to see them in flesh and bone, I believe that installation your friends are trying to destroy was still from when the High Fathers still guided you in your wars. I needed to extract information from that hub in order to get to the next lead" said Vany giving a reassuring smile to the crestfallen Feranian.

"Get me a communicator…" said Naruto.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Hinata and the rest of the group had already exited the installation and were unloading the explosives they carried on the Truck and setting them to move them into the platform. Tayuya was still unconscious as the shock of Naruto's sudden disappearance was probably too much to bear for the troubled pilot.

Hinata couldn't allow herself to pity Tayuya as she had to battle her own despair to carry on his last command. She hoped that somehow he had survived but after all those lightning bolts struck him and then he disappeared with the damaged mechanical beast, such a possibility was slim.

Still he had given one last order and she would carry it before allowing herself to join Tayuya in despair.

Kiba and Shino were obeying Hinata's commands without complain, they had never been the best friends with Naruto but he was a former classmate and a fun one to be with. They had come hoping to steal Vany's target from him since they knew that capturing the man would prove to be close to impossible so the next best thing would give them a lot of money altogether.

But Naruto's display of courage and selfless sacrifice stirred their hearts and reminded them the duty they foresworn and Naruto followed despite his shortcomings. This last act of loyalty would help them be at peace with themselves before continuing their unfruitful lives as fortune hunters.

Just as Hinata prepared the detonator the comm system in her earplug came to life.

"Hin…ta, nata, Hinata this is Naruto, are you picking up?" said Naruto through the comm link.

Hinata yelped really hard as she dropped to her knees drawing Kiba and Shino's attention as they thought that the loss finally caught up to her.

But when she stood up and jumped on top of the truck they realized that she was communicating with someone.

"Naruto? Where are you? Are you alright? What happened with the mechanical creature!" asked a relieved Hinata as tears of joy dropped from her face.

"I got teleported to a faraway hill some miles from your position and was out of range, I should be there by day break. Cancel the destruction of the installation and standby" said Naruto sounding not entirely certain.

"Understood, what of Vany?" asked Hinata.

"We thrashed around for a while but the bastard teleported away, we will shut down the installation and alert the locals. Vany is gone…" replied Naruto.

"But someone like him and that technology could very well allow him to try his hand again!" said Hinata trying not to alert the other two.

"I'll explain when I get there" finished saying Naruto as he cut the communications link.

**In orbit…**

"Thank you Naruto, I promise to you that I'll rely whatever I find to you" said a grateful Naruto as he calibrated the teleporter on the ship.

"How can I trust a thief?" asked a still hesitant Naruto about the deal he just made.

"I am not a thief but a truly dedicated Historian; no wall will stop me in my endeavor. Besides if my theory is right then helping your people will get me closer to the High Fathers. Go in peace Justicar and know that my work has a purpose, I feel it in this old augmented bones of mine" replied an smiling Vany making Naruto feel somewhat more relieved.

Looking more relaxed Naruto talked again "So all I need to do is plug this thing and it will send all the data back to your ship?"

"Yes, once it's done it will self-destruct and disappear so have no worries of me erasing something or damaging the machine. As a historian I would never forgive myself for destroying such a marvelous thing" replied Vany making the final adjustments.

"One last question though. Where did you got this stuff? it's only available on Feranian warships" asked Naruto as the lightning bolts began to strike the room.

"Vestiges of an ancient fight got the machine and took me a hundred years getting it back to work along with the back pack! Good fortune Justicar and may our paths cross again as friends under the High Father's gaze!" screamed back Vany as Naruto disappeared from his sight.

Vany rested back from all the excitement as his body could barely keep him going anymore "Guess I am running out of time…"

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

It didn't took long for Naruto to reach his companions and be tackled by Tayuya who punched him several times and made him promise to never disappear like that again.

Kiba and Shino patted him and confessed their intentions feeling ashamed and promised to somehow make it up to him and his retinue.

Finally Hinata came close to him and smiling caressed his face and sweetly told him to have a more level headed approach to dangerous criminals.

All of this affection almost made Naruto spill the beans about his deal with Vany but the fate of his people was far more important and so he fulfilled the end of his bargain and proceeded to shut down the installation.

Naruto explained that as long as the place remained shut down, the ancient defenses would stop any attempts to teleport into it and with a significant force guarding the area he wouldn't dare to come back.

Later on every bounty hunter on the planet wailed in frustration when the Federation announced that a small Treelian vessel managed to break the blockade with unique maneuvers and escape the sector into an unknown location.

Their adventure was over and the hunt would have to wait

Going back to their ship Hinata couldn't help but notice that Naruto's steps seemed heavier than before.

**AN: Done again!**

**I was on a roll with this small arc!**

**Figured you would like to see a small glimpse of the story's grand back story and a lot of lore about this world.**

**Feel free to make questions or suggestions about it.**

**The next arc will be introducing the Uchiha pact to the mix so be ready, for the time being I will focus on the Wandering Sage for a while so don't expect another update in a while.**

**Read, Enjoy and Review.**


	14. The Uchiha Pact

**Chapter 14: The Uchiha Pact**

It's been almost a month since the failed attempt to capture Vany and Naruto's crew had managed to come through in terms of money by performing a couple of side jobs which implied both Hinata and Tayuya wearing tight and quite revealing outfits and Naruto using a costume outside of a newly opened Shipyard with the best discounts in the quadrant.

After this Naruto resisted the idea of looking out for more bounties, gods only knew what kind of legendary criminal they would have to look after this time. So he and his crew resigned themselves to a rather simple life of minimum energy waste and healthy but unsatisfactory instant lunches with ramen.

Tayuya was resting her boots on the controls of the ship as they were traversing from one sector to the next; in the long days since Naruto recruited her she had become quite adept with the Justicar's impressive custom built vessel to the point where she could start to make small repair jobs and find concealed "smuggling" hatches, just in case.

She also improved a lot with the vessel's virtual training programs and the constant hand to hand combat exercises, and though she was nowhere near Naruto or Hinata's level, she thought she had become quite the tough brawler and could hold a candle to most criminals or whatever freaks Justicars had to fight.

Times were indeed rough on the financial aspect, way worse even than when she was a privateer but there was something to her current situation that made her happy and that was a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time, for a privateer's life though profitable was also a lonely, dangerous and usually with a very ungrateful end.

She was chewing some gum and listening to music when the ship came out of Hyper Space and entered a new sector where Naruto expected to find a job and resupply.

Just as she was about to disengage the auto pilot the communication's screen came live and an angry looking blonde woman screamed at the top of her lungs "Naruto Uzumaki!" making Tayuya fall back startled.

Tayuya went back to her feet and screamed back "Hey! What the hell old hag? You scared the shit out of me! Who screams at the screen like that?"

With her eyebrow twitching Tsunade calmed down and sent a smoldering glare at Tayuya, and said "And who might you be?"

"Tayuya! pilot for Justicar Naruto Uzumaki! And who are you granny?" said Tayuya with a smug face thinking that the word Justicar would have an impact on the rude woman.

"Oh…such manners young lady, but since you insist; I am Grand Admiral Tsunade Senju, Magister of armies for the Federation and Naruto's grandmother!"

At these words, a lot of memories flushed back into Tayuya's mind, the contended elections, victory parades and the unveiling of the latest Dreadnaughts; in all of them the woman attending those events was the one looking at her with smug eyes knowing the terror that was filling her soul in that moment.

Just as she was about to pass out of shock Tayuya asked "Wait a moment! You are Naruto's grandma?"

"That is correct, is that problem?" asked a satisfied Tsunade seeing the increasingly frightened redhead.

"None at all ma'am!" said Tayuya while standing straight and saluting the best she could though she was still munching her chewing gum and the music was rather loud.

"What's that screaming Tayuya? Nearly crashed at something?" said a shirtless Naruto as he just stepped out from the shower.

"Oh, hey there granny! Finally gave grandpa a night to remember? He he he" said a grinning Naruto while Tayuya was left speechless and red faced at Naruto's exposed body.

In Tsunade's forehead a vein pulsed rapidly and then calmed as she already expected this from Naruto and she wouldn't lose face before Naruto's new companion.

"Agh, looks like you got yourself a new mate, won't you introduce us Naruto?" said Tsunade while letting go her cavalcading anger.

"Oh yeah! Granny, this is Tayuya a hell of a pilot and the lousiest criminal I have ever found!" said a smiling Naruto to a confused Tsunade.

"You idiot!" screamed Tayuya hitting Naruto in the back of the head with a magazine with all her strength making the magazine tear apart and Naruto face crash on the ground.

Teary eyed Tayuya said "And you are the lousiest and lowliest Justicar I ever heard off!" and stormed out of the cabin leaving a sore Naruto.

"Really smooth Naruto…Anyway, where have you been? I haven't heard of you since Vany escaped from the Yaru worlds" said Tsunade as if the scene before was the most normal of things to happen.

Remembering his embarrassing position he tried to answer in a cool fashion "Here and there, you know Justicar business, we are the ever busy kind"

Tsunade begged to differ if Tayuya was any example of it, after the girl seemed quite relaxed and bored when she turned on the transmission.

"Is that right? Then I guess you won't be interested in an important job I wanted to ask from you" said Tsunade in tone that picked Naruto's interest.

"Well, I am rather busy but that doesn't mean I won't hear about it" said Naruto trying to keep his cool. Truth was that all their money just ran out that morning and they only had fuel for another sector transition before becoming stranded in the next port and be forced to do ANY job.

"It's to be part of the escort and security detail for an Uchiha delegation visiting several diplomats and officers of the Federation at the Borealis Station" said Tsunade.

"Uchiha? And why would those traitors send anyone into our space?" asked Naruto clearly interested by the development.

"As you probably forgot already, the Uchiha Pact and the Federation have been at talks since Minato destroyed their last attempt to get a hold of the Soundya Systems. After that incident both factions have tried to establish a less conflicted existence and perhaps reintegrate the Uchiha Pact into the Federation or guarantee and long lasting peace" said Tsunade.

"And why exactly is a Justicar needed over there? Aren't they just going to send a bunch of diplomats to talk endlessly?" said Naruto quickly dismissing the idea of just being a watchdog though he needed the money.

"This time it's different, the Great Visionary has sent his only two children and a niece to the talks to represent the Uchiha Pact. Arremius and the Visionary have engaged in tentative talks for a joint effort to stabilize and develop the Soundya Systems and his children have come to oversee the details presented by the Federation" continued Naruto.

"If it's only politicians talking why don't assign a regular security detail?" asked an still unconvinced Naruto.

"As you know the Soundya Systems are full of difficult and independent people who hate both the Federation and the Uchiha Pact though they wouldn't be able to work as independent states due to the lack of certain key resources. Still among them there are several radicals who always cause trouble" said Tsunade hoping her point would get through Naruto's head but seeing his puzzled expression she sighed and continued.

"This is the first time the Uchiha Pact sends such high profile envoys to Federation space and that paints a huge target on their backs for terrorists! If something happens to them during the talks, the Uchiha Pact may well blame us and start a new conflict! That's why I am asking you to provide with extra security for the Uchiha as their bodyguard!" finished saying Tsunade.

Naruto scratched his head and replied "And how much is this mission paying? I mean, it's not official Justicar business since Pervy Admiral didn't assiganed it"

Tsunade sighed knowing that Naruto was running low on money again and probably have already forced his mates into humiliating low profile jobs "It's being paid out of Arremius pocket and the Uchiha treasury to ensure everything goes smoothly, so yes there is good money to be made here"

"Then count me in granny! When are we supposed to be there?" asked an enthusiastic Naruto.

"Three days; and please Naruto be efficient, discreet and dress properly, this is very important for the Federation" said Tsunade in the closest thing she had ever done to beg.

"Don't worry with Hinata and Tayuya nothing could go wrong!" said a grinning Naruto to a Tsunade who would very likely visit some ancestor's tomb to pray.

**Later…**

"Hey girls! We have a mission at last!" shouted Naruto as he left the cabin still shirtless.

"That's wonderful! Where is…" said Hinata as she came back from the kitchen where she managed to cook something edible from the left over of several days.

Hinata saw the shirtless Naruto and went red as she doubled back and went back into the kitchen where she dumped a lot of water on her head to cool down.

"What's wrong?" said Naruto not knowing why Hinata did that, but before he could turn Tayuya threw a shirt in his face.

"Put on some clothes you pervert!" screamed Tayuya as she too sported a red tinge on her face.

"Aw common! I wouldn't mind any of you walking shirtless around the ship!" screamed back Naruto as he ran away from an infuriated Tayuya.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

The Borealis station is the most recent space station built by the Federation in several years; it's the largest and one of the most advanced ones in the galaxy and represents the serious effort of the Federation to establish a long standing presence in the Soundya systems though it stands on its fringes.

The station acts as the main governmental building as well since the Federation buildings in the Soundya systems are often under terrorist attacks or bomb threats. The station is carefully guarded by a significant battle group and its own defenses make up for what many militia men call "The prettiest fortress in the Federation"

During the past few days, more ships have been added to the Borealis defense detail and several politicians, diplomats and businessmen have been gathering from across the Federation to see the outcome of the rather historic event that could mark a milestone in the relations between the two contending powers.

Along with all the incoming traffic several ships marked with the code of the Justicars were received on a very low profile as everyone already expected their presence in the corners of the station.

"I can't believe we are actually going to be protecting the bastards of those turncoats!" complained Tayuya as she and Hinata were dressing for the occasion. Naruto had instructed that they would need to mingle among the attending crowds and look for possible threats to the lives of the Uchiha envoys.

"I can't hope to understand how you feel about this Tayuya but we are no longer just regular citizens of the Federation, we are its agents and protectors and we have our orders" said Hinata as she combed Tayuya's hair to conceal her horns, after all how would it look if a Thornian is close to an Uchiha?

"I know, I am just saying..." replied Tayuya as she couldn't help but smile a bit; after all she was looking quite good in the mirror.

According to the information relayed by Grand Admiral Tsunade the event was going to be one of great pomp where all the attendants would be required to use their best outfits as the talks would be accompanied by dances, performers, banquets and expositions. Arremius was trying to make amends with the Uchiha in hopes of reaching something better than a truce in their centuries old conflict.

The group had stopped at a midway station where they once more did a few quick jobs to get some money for fuel and new clothes. Naruto actually got the clothes for free after doing a couple of "favors" to the female owner of the store…

Tayuya was given a long black dress with little cleavage and several pieces of jewelry to make her look prettier that even she could remember why Hinata got a pearly white dress without straps and clear jewelry that further accentuated her royalty lineage.

Both girls wondered how did Naruto got such fine dresses but seeing the contented look from the store attendant as she adjusted the dresses they decided they were better off not knowing.

Naruto stuck to his formal Justicar set up, which worked for elegant events as much as it worked for formal debriefings. The only element missing from his attire would be his golden sword which remained on Terra in case of his demise in the line of duty.

The group then made one last jump to the Borealis station…

**During Hyper Space…**

Hinata was seating at the common space with Naruto who was reading through a couple of articles from his favorite magazine the "Space Valkyries" which depicted the latest in military technology along with pictures of sexy women serving in the Federation.

Though Hinata didn't liked Naruto's small hobby she still remembered that as a Feranian he needed to vent his desires or else he would turn violent. Gratefully he seemed more interested in the articles themselves than the girls, probably because he had more than a fair number of real girls for him…

"I could help him vent off…" thought Hinata blushing madly once she realized what she was thinking.

"Not in that way! But perhaps with training or some fun activity for the both of us" rectified Hinata looking around for something to do that wouldn't ruin her dress in the process, as they would arrive just in time to the event.

"Say Naruto, you know much about these Uchiha people?" asked Hinata trying to start a conversation.

Naruto folded his magazine and replied "Only know that they are the closest thing to the biggest bad guys in the galaxy and that they fought a war with the Federation a few hundred years ago"

"Don't we need to be informed about them since we are going to be among them pretty soon? I mean if only to know exactly what we are dealing with and the reasons behind any possible attack against them" said Hinata.

"Mmm, alright; Anveena display all your information about the Uchiha Pact guys, from the beginning" said Naruto.

A screen dropped and soon enough a chronological story of the Uchiha was displayed.

The Uchiha or more accurately the Susanoians hailed from the planet Susanoo located in the Sharingan Cluster, a group of stars and planets relatively close to each other and encased by a large field of quasars and other nasty galactic surprises that made travelling into it extremely dangerous less you surround it or go through a unique route into it.

A species eerily reminiscent of humanity except that all Uchiha are similar to each other in both their appearance and behavior.

The planet itself was denominated a beautiful garden world with plenty of resources, with three large moons full of minerals and several solid planets in the same solar system.

The people of Susano developed quickly though a history plagued with war held them back for several centuries in their space faring endeavors.

Their culture was based on one of constant self improvement and superiority, where those with the brightest skills and best physical qualities reached to the higher echelons of their hierarchy. This in turn often brought wars among rivaling families and their followers thus ravaging much of their nations.

Around nine hundred years ago the Uchiha family rose victorious across the entire planet following a number of brilliant military conquests, assassinations and strategic marriages. Afterwards the planet met its first long period of peace and prosperity under the skillful and ironclad leadership of the Uchiha, bringing a series of technological and cultural advances that soon got them into contact with the human exploration missions to the uncharted places of the galaxy.

Madara Uchiha, a now defunct but legendary leader of the Uchiha, was the one responsible for the establishment of relationships between the Federation and the Uchiha and its posterior inclusion into it.

The Uchiha quickly demonstrated their ambitious spirit by learning as much as they could about humanity and the plethora of civilizations within the Federation, adapting what they found useful and dismissing the rest.

This brought the Uchiha from a twenty second century advanced species to a modern one in less than a hundred years. The Uchiha were particularly interested in the gene therapies that helped humanity and other species improve their life quality and travel through space.

The Uchiha then started to participate in the uplifting of new worlds and offering themselves to take as many responsibilities within the Federation as possible under the argument of helping those who helped them reach the rest of the universe.

Back then the Federation had experienced long centuries of peace and prosperity and so there was no unified defense policies leaving every species to see for their own defense and contribute loosely to the fleets that attended different problems such a natural disasters, piracy and smuggling.

The Uchiha saw this as an opportunity and began the building of standardized warships which in turn triggered the alarms in several ancient members of the Federation like the Treelians, the Canyans and the Hercians, who in turn also began the buildup of their own fleets fearing that balance could be lost. But humanity dismissed it as the eagerness of the Uchiha allies to help their less wealthy neighbors.

After two hundred years of belonging to the Federation the now very aged Madara Uchiha declared the intentions of the Uchiha to acquire more responsibilities and remove the Federation's Capital to the Uchiha home world.

As expected the Federation refused and almost instantly a violent blitzkrieg assault of vast Uchiha warships began to rain destruction in key points of the Federation's network not to mention that nearly forty percent of the Federation sided with the Uchiha in one of the most brilliant and nefarious stratagems.

For a year the conflict raged unstopped and almost ended with the siege of Terra when High Lord Hashirama Senju led a combined fleet of vessels from the rest of the Federation into a furious counterattack that managed to break the siege of Terra and set the main Uchiha army in retreat.

Afterwards with renewed vigor, the Federation started to take back the territories lost to the Uchiha and exact bloody vengeance upon the traitors though at a great cost for over a billion soldiers lost their lives in the fury of the planet size warfronts. Nearly half of them were Hercian troopers whose courage would be later rewarded.

The war raged for other three more years until the definite victory of Soundya Primaris which pushed the Uchiha fleets back into their own well defended cluster. At that point High Lord Senju had refused to continue the assault into the Sharingan Cluster since it would signify even more years of bloodshed and quite possibly the loss of the Federation's unity.

Instead of pursuing the fleeing Uchiha, the Federation split their fleets to battle the allied species of the Uchiha and bring them into submission and reinsertion to the Federation. Many of these species later swore and oath of hatred against the Uchiha for abandoning them when things turned south and left to their home world.

Other species which the Uchiha had helped greatly in their uplifting had prepared their home worlds into giant fortresses and managed to avoid the fury of the Federation thus remained loyal to the Uchiha as they were very close to their cluster.

Two years after the victory in Soundya High Lord Senju signed a truce with the aged Madara who reluctantly admitted Hashirama's equality to the best of the Uchiha. Thus the species that still supported the Uchiha formed along with them the Uchiha Pact and became the second group of Humanoid species since the founding of the Federation.

Afterwards the Federation underwent significant reforms in all aspects of its society and government. The government would no longer be entirely elected by the citizens but it would be divided into three great Magistrates that would hold equal power, watch and negotiate among each other.

The citizens could only elect the leaders of one Magistrate while the other two would be elected by their own members. Some said that democracy would be lost but the arguments of regular people not being able to see the whole picture was a dangerous prospect and so the other two magistrates would have as their sole mission to preserve the Federation no matter what.

One Magistrate would oversee technological development as to see that new technologies wouldn't represent a risk and ensure that every species within the Federation advanced together equally since the Uchiha unleashed many Nightmarish creations that defied the most basic of rights of life and warfare.

The Magistrate for armies would create a common military policy and command a unified army in which every species would participate thus attempting to erase the division former policies seeded among them, the purpose was to make everyone think that an attack on another's home world was as bad as if it was on their own.

Individual species may keep their own downsized armadas to defend their own homeworlds and local trade routes.

The next great decision was that from now on pre space flight species would not be uplifted before time and each case would be extensively reviewed as to avoid such disasters again.

And so the golden age of the Federation ended and made way for the age of silver where the Federation became a much more powerful entity though filled with a larger degree of fear and suspicion. No more great expeditions would be started in three hundred years.

"Wow, never imagined that such thing could happen out here" said a rather shocked and scared Hinata.

"Well, bastards do born everywhere I guess" said a not so interested Naruto, after all his own species could do much worse than the Uchiha.

"We are arriving at the Borealis Station" said Tayuya through the comm.

**AN: Done!**

**Been a while huh? Yeah it has but my work has been quite hefty and my new NaruSaku project drains a lot of my creativity as apparently people like it a lot and thus I just keep writing.**

**As I promised I used this short chapter to introduce the Uchiha and their background to the story.**

**Next chapter we will see how Naruto deals with them and perhaps this time he performs a flawless job?**

**I would like suggestions as which character would fit to join Naruto's crew, this one has to be male though…**

**Hope we see each other soon, and remember that I do intend to finish this story (someday)**

**Read, enjoy and review!**


	15. Seeking Perfection

**Chapter 15: Seeking Perfection**

Just as Tayuya had announced their arrival to the station she opened the observation windows across the vessel as to allow Naruto and Hinata to observe the rather strange spectacle taking place in front of them.

Hundreds of beautiful ships moving slowly among each other with glittering lights as some entered the station and other established long docking tunnels to transport the hundreds of different diplomats, traders, generals and celebrities in this long awaited encounter.

The defensive frigates and warships had established a close security perimeter where they boarded every single vessel before being allowed to enter the station. The only vessels being allowed to enter the station without inspections were the ones marked as those belonging to Justicars.

As Tayuya sent the Justicar code to the approaching Federation Frigate a loud exchange of words on the other side made the finely dressed Tayuya wonder what was going on as the voices sounded rather worried.

"Attention Daring Fox, confirmation, Is Justicar Naruto Uzumaki onboard?" asked the communications officer.

"Of course he is! I wouldn't had sent the code otherwise you idiot!" spat back Tayuya annoyed by the circumstance.

"Confirmation; is he planning to stay over for the meeting or is he going to leave, let´s say during the next six hours?" asked nervously the officer.

"Duh! The meeting of course! Who is this? Why are you making us these questions? You are interrupting Justicar official businesses!" replied Tayuya feeling empowered by her status as retinue and having the chance to intimidate Federation personnel.

Frantic voices were heard on the other side and finally a defeated sounding officer granted them access as the frigate moved away from the Daring Fox's way.

"Thank you idiots!" said a grinning Tayuya as she steered the vessel to the designated entryway for the Justicars where their vessels in many colors and shapes were landing with expert care and handling.

Upon disembarking the trio was met with the rather strange event where dozens of Justicar and their retinues exchanged salutations, hugs and renewed friendships with great enthusiasm. This in turn made Hinata wonder if they have been summoned here by Jiraiya and if such, why did he not summoned Naruto to the summit?

Just as they made way several Justicars noticed Naruto and while some greeted him with laughter over old missions where they happened to stumble unto each other, most greeted him as if a threat had just arrived and stood away from him.

"Hello friends! Seeing so many old and new faces certainly makes my heart go warm and my stomach ache with the desire for a grand feast to celebrate for such a rare occasion!" said in a loud voice a broad young man with swirls on his cheeks.

Hinata noticed that he carried the silverfish insignia of the retinue but apparently he commanded much respect and devotion from everyone around as they cheered him on his words.

"But sadly my friends, as in most reunions, duty comes first and today is no exception! We all have been summoned by different diplomats, government officials and more than one by private companies!" boomed the man while everyone laughed at his speech which seemed to caught many in the sad truth of their motives to be here.

"Now that I have your undivided attention, I want to propose a concert of efforts as to make this rather strange event go as smoothly as possible, besides we all know that it will probably go as one of Naruto's missions!" said the man with a big broad smile that was contagious.

Naruto huffed while Tayuya and everyone else laughed loudly understanding the joke. Hinata wanted to differ but she understood the reason…

"Thanks for the introduction Chouji but the last remark was bit uninvited given that Naruto is already here" said Shikamaru as he stepped forward encased in his long dark coat as apparently he had little to no intention of making an appearance during the meetings.

Chouji laughed nervously as directed a glance at Naruto who was scowling slightly "Sorry about that one Naruto! No harm meant"

"None taken, after all I owe it to you! Never thought you would cry after I ate the last piece of meat from that axe boar in Philux IV when we were looking for pirate bases!" replied Naruto with a grin while Chouji went red with embarrassment and all of the gathered people laughed heartily knowing how to take on a good story.

"If we are done with the small talk then let us begin. I don't care who sent you here but I can pretty much imagine you all came here to make certain that nothing goes wrong after all a peace treaty with the Uchiha may make our jobs much easier. With that in mind I propose we share any intelligence on possible threats and coordinate efforts to make things go smoothly by dividing our presence throughout the fortress" said Shikamaru with his hands in his pockets.

Every Justicar nodded in agreement as they nodded to their retinue who began to unload equipment from their ships and shared data among each other on the leads of possible dangers that may converge in this historic event.

After less than an hour of planning Shikamaru had already assigned positions and duties according to the strengths of every Justicar and retinue showing his brilliance and capabilities as a strategist and leader; Hinata had to consider that Shikamaru could make an excellent Vigilant some day and of course given he survives until then…

But after every Justicar had been assigned a position Naruto and his crew were yet to be given any task making the young Feranian grow restless and somewhat annoyed.

"Naruto stop brooding and come over here, I have a special task for you that only can perform" said Shikamaru with a half smile which Hinata and Tayuya immediately interpreted as Shikamaru knowing he was taking advantage of Naruto, but never the less Naruto almost jumped and hurried to Shikamaru like an eager boy waiting for candy.

"At first I was intended to be the Justicars representative before the Uchiha but I think that role falls better on your shoulders, after all from the two, you are the more imposing. But given that these people have been our enemies for a long time you have to be careful and play it as smoothly as Sakura talks rookie crewmates into making out with her and each other" said Shikamaru while adjusting Naruto's suit.

Feeling overwhelmed with pride Naruto replied "Leave it to me Shikamaru! I'll sweep those Uchiha from their feet and leave them breathless with my charm!"

"I am sure you will!" said an almost enthusiastic Shikamaru (almost) and then moved on to Hinata who stood watching closely the little exchange between Justicars.

"Can I trust you to keep your eyes open? You are the last line of defense should everything else fails to stop a threat against the Uchiha" said Shikamaru while Naruto boasted his important role with an equally grinning Tayuya who was probably wondering about the goodies she could pilfer and the food she could eat.

"Why Naruto? Why not someone more qualified?" asked Hinata while trying to avoid smiling at Naruto's antics.

"Well I did requested Sakura along with Grand Admiral Tsunade but she turned off her screen screaming a really foul curse; can't blame her, half a billion soldiers of her species perished in the Uchiha revolt. Naruto was my second option because he has a sixth sense for danger and his behavior and looks can be quite deceiving, just perfect to convey an air of security and at the same time be a perfect watchdog" said Shikamaru as Hinata nodded in understanding.

Hinata had to hand it to Shikamaru, he wasn't particularly hostile towards Naruto, and knew him well enough as to put him where his efforts would be most useful.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Every guest to the grand reception were reunited at the Borealis Station's observation deck which was furnished with elegant old Terra furniture and over a hundred tables set with some of the most refined and exquisite dishes available at Federation's space.

Dozens of musicians had been invited to provide the entertainment and it was rumored that an alien singer from beyond the Yordan Veil was brought to provide with a unique taste of the galactic wonders.

Beyond the observation deck two Federation dreadnaughts stood in flanking positions around the designated entry point for the Uchiha vessel as both honor guards and destroyers in case of betrayal.

The Uchiha vessel entered normal space and stood immobile for a few seconds allowing the viewers to bask in the optimal, elegant and supposedly superior design of the Uchiha warship which brought the very important envoys sent by the Great Visionary himself to parlay with Federation representatives about the future of the long disputed Soundya Systems.

The vessel was painted in clean white and bright red and it proudly displayed the symbol of the Uchiha Pact which consisted of a giant fan over a red sun with three black dots circling it, as in representation of the Uchiha home word, its sun and the three black moons orbiting it.

(The vessel looks like a warship from the Republic in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars series)

The ship quickly ignited its engines and maneuvered to position its docking ports next to those of the station while the Federation frigates made a defensive formation to protect the vessel of any incoming harm, even if it meant standing on its path.

It didn't took long for the Uchiha representation party to reach the observation deck with an honor guard of finely dressed soldiers covered in red and white armor with ceremonial blades by their side and mean looking automatic rail pistols on the other.

The soldiers made two perfectly drawn lines and unsheathed their sword while igniting a thin power field around them making Naruto slightly suspicious.

At last a more ornate soldier came carrying high the banner of the Uchiha and behind him strode three non-armored figures dressed in deep blue clothes.

The first was a handsome man of black hair and thin lines under his eyes, he carried a saber by his side and displayed a friendly smile which was betrayed by his very sharp eyes which measured everyone in the room with incredible speed recognizing those he should address during the reception and those he was just curious upon meeting; his eyes stopped an instant on Naruto and his crew as if he was more interested in them than in most people around.

The second man was slightly taller than the first but was clearly younger as his eyes weren't as sharp and his looks seemed softer than the other. It was clear that both were brothers and he too carried a sword by his side though it was a straight one edged one with a simple looking hilt. He also measured the people around him but instead of showing interest he casted an aura of defiance and contempt which didn't go unnoticed to some of the attendants and Hinata.

Finally tailing the two males, came a slender tall woman of young feline features and with the distinct traits of the Uchiha hierarchy, black glossy hair, white creamy skin and intense black eyes which instead of measuring the people around they just jumped from one guest to another with some amusement as if seeing strange animals in a zoo.

To greet the Uchiha a delegation of diplomats in fine clothes, which displayed the colors of the Federation, stood waiting with richly armed soldiers by their side as to give a show of equality and strength.

To everyone's surprise Magistrate Arremius removed a veil from her head and stepped forward in a confident stride and stretched out her hand to the first of the Uchiha who immediately knelt and softly grabbed it giving it a polite kiss showing his elite manners to a silent crowd who stood immobile as this first few instants could define the start of a new conflict.

Arremius face didn't softened at all and just nodded in acceptance of the Uchiha's greeting.

"Greetings Lord Itachi Uchiha, honored child of the Great Visionary Fugaku Uchiha and Commander of the Sharingan Cluster Gate Fleet, I Lizara Arremius give you the Enterran Federation warmest welcome and our sincere desire of peace and prosperity for all the sentient species of the Galaxy" said Arremius in clear voice as the entire crowd witnessed in silence.

"And I accept your welcome Lady Lizara Arremius Magistrate of the Enterran Federation, in the name of my father and the whole of the Uchiha Pact I also extend the desire for peace and prosperity for us all. May this day be the first of many for the free species of the galaxy" replied Itachi as he rose back to his feet towering over the smaller yet unflinching woman.

Hinata noticed the differences in words used clearly stating the political postures of both factions, where the Federation sought union; the Uchiha strived for freedom and independence. But Itachi probably left the intent of the Uchiha to dominate less he would offend some of the attendants who watched the exchange with cold stares as if they didn't believed in a peaceful relationship with the Uchiha.

"May I introduce my siblings? The young man behind me is my younger brother Sasuke and the young lady is my cousin Kitara the daughter of the former Great Visionary" said Itachi making way for his younger relatives.

Kitara bowed courtly while Sasuke just gave an acknowledging nod to an unfazed Arremius who returned the gesture with a court of her own while everyone in her retinue did so more profusely making the girl look rather amused and the younger man look even more arrogant.

Just as Arremius was about to invite the Uchiha to enjoy the refreshments of the reception and relax from their long journey Itachi was first to the speech.

"My dear Magistrate, I know it is out of what you expected but I am afraid the galaxy has long waited for these talks and my father was quite insistent on getting on with them as soon as possible. There are many important issues to deal with and he is afraid that regular protocol may get in the way of the solutions" said Itachi catching Arremius slightly by surprise as the shrewd politician had learned to keep her emotions and reactions at a minimum.

Clearing her throat she whispered a few things to her assistant and nodded to Itachi "Of course, it's heartening to see such disposition from your father to get things done promptly, it speaks highly of him and his willingness to help the people of Soundya; I still hope you'll be with us to enjoy the festivities arranged for this talks"

"Of course, we wouldn't have it any other way! My relatives will not be participating but my father insisted that at least they get to know and learn from the rest of the space faring civilizations" finished Itachi making clear for Sasuke and Kitara to stay in the reception and make a proper impression of the Uchiha.

Hinata noticed that Sasuke seemed rather upset about being left behind in the important task of his brother while Kitara seemed to think nothing of it and just wandered into the expecting crowd which immediately bowed before her and began the long and tortuous dance of introductions, offerings, and adulation. She couldn't help but remember the days of court in his father's house, some things just never change.

Itachi and Arremius left quickly while followed by guards and members of their respective retinues to the extremely secure and spy proof meeting halls deeper into the fortress.

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Arremius and Itachi took their seats immediately and waited while the rest of the involved parties did the same as drinks were served and several archives and screens flashed live as clearly the technicians were caught by surprise with Itachi's move to speed things up so suddenly.

As all the preparations were done Arremius began talking "Honored Lord Itachi, I have prepared a series of proposals for your consideration regarding the Soundya systems and also took the liberty to add several diplomatic gestures so that our nations can begin the reconstruction of the broken ties among us"

Itachi smiled warmly and looked straight into Arremius eyes making her move back on her seat as if surprised by his sudden stare.

"I am confident your proposals are very well thought of and are most agreeable for us, and I am more than willing to back your diplomatic gestures with my father but the issue my father insisted on reviewing with you is about the Feranians" said Itachi observing Arremius taken aback by his declaration as this certainly came as a surprise for her.

The Feranians were no secret for the Federation populace but the true depth of their existence actually was, for most of the population believed them to be just an aggressive Space Faring civilization which began their inclusion to the Federation with the wrong step.

The reality that the Feranians were an ancient and extremely advanced and powerful species was kept a secret as to avoid generalized panic or in the Uchiha's case a potentially devastating ally for their expansionism intentions.

The fact that the Feranians were actually just a strategic partner without real membership or allegiance to the Federation made it even more dangerous as that meant that the Uchiha could maneuver themselves into the same position given that they remained a largely neutral party, with the exception of Naruto's origin.

Trying to remain calm and probe just how much did the Uchiha knew about the Feranians, Arremius began "The Feranians, quite the troublesome lot they are; we had a bad beginning but we are working towards their full inclusion into the Federation, but their extremely different society values have been making this a difficult process at the best. Why would you be interested in them? They are not even close to your borders?"

Itachi smiled amused and quickly answered "I think we are beyond pretentions Magistrate; it is no secret that twenty some years ago there was a big rush in the Federation over a new expedition towards a region of the Galaxy that was believed it was once populated by an advanced species that was no more, then something went horribly wrong and after a failed military probe into it everything was hushed down an a public statement said that the Federation unknowingly stumbled into the territory of an advanced space faring civilization and misunderstanding led to a small conflict which was quickly ended and began the protocol steps to include this new civilization into the concert of the Federation"

Calling one of his assistants forward this one carried an old battered dagger that despite looking ancient still kept most of its luster intact. Taking Itachi allowed it to fall on the table and to everyone's surprise said dagger went into the table until it was stopped by its own hilt.

"This is a Feranian dagger recovered on one of the worlds under our control in very deep archeological digs. How do we know they are Feranian? Well, the media of the Federation was very kind to publicize pictures of the Feranian home world and the similarities on the engravings gave it away too easily" continued Itachi at the increasingly nervous Federation members while his own retinue grinned in satisfaction.

"Obviously a civilization that can produce such a high quality item like this just can't be another civilization that reached the stars. They are way more than that and my father has an special interest in getting to know them, after all if they remain a neutral party then the Feranians have the right to know us and negotiate with us in equal terms as they do with you" finished Itachi as he saw how Arremius opened and closed her mouth slowly certainly trying to form the appropriate words for an answer that wouldn't send these talks to hell.

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to convince them that the Feranians aren't particularly more advanced than other species she decided to get to the point and begin taking steps to contain this horrible situation.

"And if we refuse to give you contact with the Feranian people?" asked Arremius setting all card in the open.

"Then my father would see it as clear sign that despite the many years, the Federation's hostility towards the Uchiha hasn't decreased at all and so these talks would be pointless. We would keep our claim on the Soundya systems and take the necessary steps to enforce it" replied Itachi flatly.

"And if we secure a meeting with the Feranians?" continued Arremius.

"Then my father would see it as a very positive step towards the normalization of our relationships, and of course my father would be more than willing to approve all of your requests and he even offered the possibility of opening a diplomatic office on our home world" said Itachi giving a very tempting offer for the Federation.

Quickly measuring her options the possibility of open conflict in the Soundya systems would mean the interruption of the resources being collected and perhaps a wide spread uprising backed by the Uchiha at a great cost for many of her main sponsors, after all elections weren't far and a deal with the Uchiha would secure her position for decades to come.

"You would have to understand that the Feranians aren't exactly a social species, they may not want to meet your representatives" replied Arremius.

"We are confident that a diplomat of your stature will be more than capable of securing a meeting between delegates, we are also confident that this will be accomplished within the next Terran month" replied Itachi cutting Arremius's time to react and counter their efforts.

"I am certain we can grant such a request, after all our goals of peaceful coexistence among the humanoid species are the same" replied a now very angry Arremius.

"In that we are of the same spirit my dear Magistrate, now how about we go over those requests you have for the development of the Soundya systems?" said a triumphant Itachi.

Arremius nodded to one of her aides who understood she would need to have a long talk with Tsunade and Jiraiya over this major intelligence leak.

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The reception had gone smoothly after Itachi's sudden departure to start the negotiations and every guest was enjoying the many entertainments the Federation had prepared for this rare event.

The main stars left were the other two Uchiha envoys who couldn't spend a single moment without a large entourage of invited members of the press or lesser representatives of the Federation or lobbyists from several companies.

One could see that the girl moved through them with the expertise of a seasoned celebrity clearly enjoying the attention of so many, while the younger Sasuke's temper seemed to be quickly deteriorating as he tried with short answers to shake the rather insistent nuisances without pulling his sword and cut them down to shreds.

Hinata had been giving status reports of the Uchiha to Shikamaru and so far everything seemed to go without incident. So far just a couple of waiters were silently withdrawn from serving refreshments as they had made some aggressive comments on the Uchiha party in the kitchen and while most would have disregarded them as just inconsequential bravado, Shikamaru wasn't taking any chances and rather decided to play safe as much as he could.

He had also instructed Naruto and his crew to do not engage in any sort of communication with the Uchiha unless they needed to be protected from a threat.

Hinata imagined that this was to avoid diplomatic misunderstandings with the Uchiha given Naruto's rather honest character and quick to anger temper, but she couldn't help but suspect that Shikamaru wasn't telling her the whole story.

Hinata laid her worries to rest as she returned her attention to the party where Tayuya was secretly filling a bag with several of the dishes being delivered from the kitchen. She had to grant it to Tayuya she was quite stealthy and no one seemed to have caught her in the act, besides she wouldn't stop her, if this job didn't yielded some money, then those "emergency provisions" would come in handy.

On the other side Naruto seemed to flow nicely with the party as his crest of the Justicars attracted some senior military officials who thought they could give some insight to the goings and comings of the Federation and of course it also attracted politicians who thought they could get some juicy information from a Justicar, after all their trade was to delve in the true secrets of the Federation and knowledge is power.

Hinata on her side managed to drive off some eager gentlemen who saw a lone but graceful lady holding a crystal cup of cold water gliding through the attendants almost like a ghost which always belonged to parties such as this.

She felt flattered of course but this wasn't new to her, life as a princess in Augya had made her quite resilient to even the most abrasive of suitors and the ones here were much more educated since they didn't' belonged to a medieval age society.

Everything seemed to be flowing as she would expect but it never hurt to be safe and so she never allowed suspicious characters to leave her range of vision, which it was very considerable now. She had discovered that she was covering almost the entire hall without noticing it, she decided that it was part of her recently awoken Psionic ability, but so far being able to observe everything was not as impressive as when she managed to see through walls and locate Naruto and Tayuya.

She would have to consult with an expert if she ever found one on how to fully develop this rather useful skill of hers, but as she pondered over this she caught something most unexpected and it was that the Kitara girl had somehow eluded her sights and reappeared right behind a distracted Naruto.

**With Naruto…**

"Hello there stranger" said a sensuous voice behind Naruto making him freeze on the spot and turn in surprise as he swallowed a rather large mouthful of food.

Upon seeing the woman talking to him Naruto got very nervous as Shikamaru had been quite adamant about not talking to any of the Uchiha, not even tell them the hour or where did the restroom was!

Now he saw himself under the interested and strangely intense stare of one of them and it had to be the female one! The one with all the curves, the feline features and let's admit it some of the best "assets" he had seen up so close!

Before he could give an excuse and retreat, the girl placed her index finger over his Justicar's insignia and said "One of the Federation's great champions none the less, you lot certainly know how to give a good first impression, I didn't knew they would pick the most handsome one!"

Naruto couldn't help grin a bit; after all he wasn't the receptive end of much praise in the federation and not even among the Feranians where he was rather short as an infant.

"Thanks but I am just one of many my lady, I am hardly worthy of any praise, now if you excuse me…" tried to say Naruto but the girl quickly grabbed him by the hem of his shirt and directed a paralyzing stare at him.

"Listen up dude! I am bored out of my mind here and all these sniveling idiots just don't leave me alone, they should just be speaking to my cousins but Itachi evaded the issue and Sasuke is scaring everyone away so they all flock to me as if I was some sort of treasure! And for some reason they are all evading you at the same time, so stay next to me for a while!" said the girl with stern voice making Naruto smile awkwardly and nod in agreement.

"Good boy, now fetch me a drink and see me over that pillar!" said the girl merrily and went her way while Naruto was left there dumbfounded.

"Well, guess I can better protect her if I am standing next to her…" thought Naruto as he turned around to pick up a couple of drinks.

Right after he pick them up he went his way over to the girl who kept that intense stare on him and for some reason seemed to make him feel scrutinized to the last aspect.

Right as he handed over the drink the girl grazed his hand and said in a low tone "Tell me mister Feranian, how does it feel to be the only of your kind among these low borns?..."

**AN: Done!**

**Been a while huh? Well I lost my job three weeks ago and I am still looking for a new one so it has been quite difficult and much of my inspiration left me, only to return slowly and in short bursts.**

**I wanted to further expand this chapter but to be honest I just can't get my head into it fully so I ended it there where it is still of good quality. I know what I want from this part of the story but the words aren't coming at the required pace.**

**I'll divert some of my efforts to my other stories if only to stir my inspiration.**

**As always you are welcomed to share ideas and thoughts with me regarding this story and see if I can get back to this soon enough.**

**Read, Enjoy and Review.**


	16. Ice Daggers

**Chapter 16: Ice Daggers**

"Excuse me?" asked an astonished Naruto as he could barely keep his own drink from falling to the ground.

"Oh is the Justicar so surprised that I know one of his secrets? Well it wasn't much of a secret to begin with; one only had to get a picture of you, cross reference it with the species chart and when your kind didn't came up, one could only look at the missing species in the chart" replied the sweet smiling Kitara as she offered her hand to Naruto who gulping down his sudden nerves took it and began walking around drawing some attention from the guests.

"I'll be honest with you, my cousin is probably arranging some meeting with your species with the Federation's help in exchange for a lot of goodies and some peace for the beleaguered people of the Soundya Systems; but I thought that a direct contact would be more to the liking of your people" continued Kitara still displaying a candid smile and nodding to the different important guests that spared more than five seconds looking at her.

"E-E-Excuse me my lady but I am not entirely certain what you are talking about!" replied Naruto while looking sideways hoping for someone to pull him out of this rather strange and potentially dangerous situation.

"So you are going to play it like that? Then I'll lay it out for you my very impressive Feranian specimen" said Kitara while pressing her hand on Naruto's bicep.

"My dear uncle, the current Great Visionary, wants to meet your people and has probably tasked Itachi with cornering the Federation into agreeing in exchange over certain concessions, but this approach in my mind is rather crass and prone to have the Federation put as many obstacles as possible" continued Kitara making Naruto's eyes go wide with the realization of what was transpiring at the closed doors.

"I, on the other hand, believe that a first impression is important and on whom even more so; so here I am making a formal greeting in the name of my family, my kin and my home" said Kitara while leaning on Naruto as she had guided both to a more secluded minor observation deck where there was no one.

Realizing the solitude they were into, Naruto began to panic knowing that he had left his partners and the other Uchiha alone and undefended.

Noticing his restlessness, Kitara disengaged her arm from his and placed both hands on Naruto's chest quickly re attaining his full attention.

"Don't be troubled my fair Justicar, I bet there are dozens of Justicars around, plus a huge security detail, large battleships, shady bodyguards, our own guards and my young yet quite violent cousin. Either the best assassin in the galaxy or a truly deranged man would dare to commit violence back there, not to mention…that we aren't exactly so far away" whispered Kitara as she drew closer to the nervous Feranian.

Calming down after agreeing with her reasoning he got curious about why would she go behind her cousin's back to meet him, breaking all protocol.

"I am not entirely certain how can meeting me help your people? I am just a…" started to say Naruto while trying to step away from the rather forward girl.

Stopping him by cornering him against a pillar Kitara placed her hands to his sides and looking up to his eyes she said "My eyes tell me that you are important enough for being the only Feranian working closely with the Federation. My eyes tell me that you are something of an experiment for being the only of your kind in service of the Federation. And my eyes tell me that the Federation is learning of you so that they know how to handle your kind should you turn reluctant to join…"

At that last piece of information Naruto grabbed her by the shoulders and placed her a bit away from him and with angry eyes he said "How dare you?"

Looking somewhat impressed Kitara didn't lost her cool and continued with a less tender tone "I see is not the first time someone tells you this right? But if you get angry it's because that there is some truth to it, right?"

Naruto let her go and just turn his head with pained grimace showing clear confusion over what to make of that thought; Vany had been the first to mention it and the evidence did more than proof the veracity of the assumption but on the other side it meant that his own grandparents, his friends and Sakura were all but using him to get the prized Feranian wealth of power and knowledge.

"At least I am being honest here Naruto, I won't deny that my uncle is very much interested in what your species has to offer, but the main difference with the Federation is that we Uchiha do not destroy those things we find valuable. We learn, we adapt and we build upon those things we find valuable, and we share those things among those who have decided to live free of the Federation's tyrannical grip" added Kitara to an increasingly confused Naruto.

"They aren't tyrants! They are good and …" tried to say Naruto but Kitara's hand to his chin stopped him as her eyes seemed to dig into him.

"And yet you have need for Justicars, men and women granted special powers to hunt those elements that could easily undermine the very foundations of your old and stagnant Federation. You have Magistrates who rule with supreme authority at the expense of the fundamental freedoms of every sentient species" said Kitara effectively silencing Naruto.

"Its nature itself that demands a cycle of life and dead, this Federation is long overdue and you Justicars are all that's keeping it from dying by burning its tumors away but the most seasoned of you have come to see the futility of your efforts in trying to save such an old thing" continued Kitara circling Naruto while keeping her litany.

"Even I recognize that the Uchiha will end sometime in the future but that's the point of it all, I acknowledge the unstoppable passing of time and the wondrous mystery of the future, but the Federation clings to something that just can't be sustained any longer" finished Kitara.

"I don't know what to say…"managed to say an overwhelmed Naruto.

"Who would? Facing the truth and accepting it may be trying at times but that's necessary for someone to move on, and here I can see that you are a giant among ants; Uchiha eyes recognize potential and strength wherever it may hide and it is in our nature to seek it and nurture it so we may learn and thrive with it! Yet you bow your head and accept their criticism every time you do what's needed to help the Federation!" said Kitara with clear knowledge of Naruto's controversial feats

"We, no, I see such a great and wasted potential in you and I can also see that everything you do is out of love for your important people; but no one here sees the value of those things, all they care is that things get done as they say and if not they blame you and hardly give you the praise you deserve. Weaklings I call them!" continued Kitara.

"I speak to you directly so you see me for what I am, a free sentient being with the courage to speak the truth and seek my own glories. I am certain the Magistrates will paint us like some sort of demons or single minded traitors, but what really matters is what you and your people will think once you meets us without such judgments" added Kitara in whispers.

"But the Federation has always been good to us…" tried to counter Naruto.

"Of course they are good, what dog bites the hand of its master? They fear you I am certain, and so they seek to know everything from you and find a weakness with which to render you and your kinsmen as defenseless as them. All I want to offer you is a different path, see it and decide by yourself with no one whispering over our shoulder, after all yours is the power…" said Kitara as she had managed to work her way between Naruto's loose arms and look as if he was embracing her.

Naruto was about to reply something but a loud bang noise and security alarms flared across the station making them snap out of their current reverie and see mist coming from the main hall.

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**As Naruto and Kitara went out of the banquet hall…**

"Excuse me miss but would you mind accompanying me for a moment?" said a smooth male voice behind Hinata almost making her drop the fine crystal cup full of cool water.

Taking a step away she was quick to look at the rather bold man who once more tried to get her attentions that evening but upon recognizing the tall Sasuke Uchiha speaking to her, she almost screamed in surprise.

Looking sideways to find Naruto she almost began to panic and the thieving Tayuya wouldn't be of any help at the moment.

"Are you alright?" asked in a demanding tone the imposing man, who upon closer inspection was of the same height as Naruto though of slimmer physique.

Observing him with care she could tell the attractive of the young man, for where Naruto's appeal was more on the rougher side with a bright disposition and a dashing smile. This "outsider's" appeal was more on the refined way, with a spotless skin, handsome slim looks and a dark yet enticing aura.

Comparing them both Naruto was like the day and the Uchiha noble was the night, both with their unique qualities which were equally attracting.

Realizing that the young Uchiha was expecting an answer she was quick to compose herself and began "I am alright your Excellency, as for your request I am afraid that I am waiting for someone"

"You are lying" drily stated the man looking straight at Hinata, making her confused as she genuinely didn't knew what to say to such a rude, yet true, thing.

"E-Excuse me?" said Hinata averting her eyes from the Uchiha ho at that moment made her feel like when she was left alone with her cousin Neji back in Augya.

"I've been observing you for a while and you are yet to sip any beverages besides the water on your cup. You keep looking everywhere with some concern and for some reason you seem to disapprove of that thieving redhead over the food court; also you keep gently refusing every man who has come to talk with you despite being dressed in quite an alluring dress" said Sasuke with a very calm voice.

For her part Hinata had to admit that this man was thoroughly trained in his observation skills and was probably trained in many other martial skills as his fine sword seemed to indicate. On the other, she realized that her cover was a fairly poor one as her behavior had just given her away and strangely attracted the attention of the one person Shikamaru instructed her not to talk to unless absolutely necessary. And finally, did he just say that she looked pretty in that dress?

"I assume you are part of the security detail assigned for this occasion; quite clever to put agents in disguise but so could enemy agents and very likely in a more convincing way than you. Still you are doing a fine job, I wouldn't paid you any mind should you have tried to lick my boots like everyone else around here" said Sasuke stepping to her side and like observed carefully the gathered crowd which decided to stay clear of the rather scary character.

"Um, sir I am very flattered but I don't think you should mingle with someone like, I am certain you would be more comfortable with…" tried to say Hinata but Sasuke's lifted hand said.

"It's Sasuke and I seriously don't want to mingle anymore with that rabble. Personally, I have always felt more at ease with someone like you" said the young man placing his hand to rest on the hilt of his sword.

Hinata on her side blushed at the apparently effective flirting but Sasuke's next words almost made her face palm.

"Military personnel have always been more to my liking; disciplined, capable, dependable, not exactly smart and above all silent. People these days no longer seems to care about someone's need for privacy or five minutes of silence" said the man making Hinata want to slap him over the rude remark but the faint smile on his face made her stop and feel somewhat embarrassed.

"I seriously envy you, you know? I want glory like anyone else, but a political parade is no place to get it! It's outside fighting the tyrants of the Federation! But fate intended me to be born second to my brother and so to stand in the shadow of everyone! What I would give to take the Black Fleet and conquer this system once and for all!" said Sasuke as he didn't realized the really freaked out Hinata by her side who could barely believe that one of the higher ups of the Uchiha would openly talk of such things before her, especially when this entire event was meant as a way to peace!

Not knowing what to say to the belligerent man, Hinata just smiled and tried to laugh rather girlishly as she had learned back in Augya every time she met a noble with whom she couldn't relate in any way. But every time she tried to scurry away, the young man chased after and jut kept complaining, praising his people or demeaning the Federation.

Just as Hinata had finally spotted the ladies restroom and was about to excuse herself for a much needed respite from the reception, Sasuke mentioned something that completely caught her attention.

"Seriously, we wouldn't even be here if not for that crazy thing about the Feranians" said Sasuke while fumbling with his cup of fine red wine.

"E-Excuse me? Feranians?" asked Hinata trying to sound as ignorant of the subject as possible.

Smirking Sasuke saw that at last he had caught a girl's attention; like this Kitara won't be questioning his preferences anymore!

"Yes, Feranian, a relatively recently discovered species of space faring humanoids on the western reaches of the Federation's current borders. For some reason they have been unable to fully join the Federation and father got this strange obsession over meeting with them and earn and strategic ally on the Federation's blind side" said Sasuke casually.

Trying to get an unexpected but valuable piece of information Hinata faked ignorance and said "That seems a sound military strategy but the Federation is far larger than the Uchiha, what a far standing ally would accomplish?"

"That I don't know, guess father just wants some political leverage to weaken the political unity of the federation and eventually open Soundya; can't' really tell the kind of machinations my father and brother plots, that's why I rather be at the head of my own fleet and do things in a more straightforward fashion. But if this is his wish, who am I to challenge it?" said Sasuke as he smirked over Hinata's interested face.

Right before Hinata could enquire more the lights of the hall dimmed and an announcer took the microphone and spoke "Ladies and gentlemen, and fine guests of the honored Uchiha Pact; in the name of the Federation's magistrates and the personnel of the Aurora station we wish to welcome you and offer you a most pleasurable evening"

"For tonight's entertainment, the people of Soundya have offered a most fine spectacle of singing and performing" spoke the announcer as a light projector fixed itself on one end of the hall from which a fine mist began to pour.

From within the mist several silhouettes entered spinning and jumping barely making any noise and at the same time entertaining the guests which immediately applauded.

Just as the last of the performers entered and began its interpretation the light focused once more on the entrance where a fine woman in a white dress stood.

Said woman was quite a vision as several of the fine gentlemen in the crowd immediately gave her their undivided attention. This woman sported a single white dress, long silky black hair in a straight fashion with two beautiful bangs of hair framing her angular noble looking face which had very little make up on it.

The woman's body was without the most notorious female curves but she had enough appeal to make up for the lack of them, and then finally her deep black eyes which made you wonder what emotion where they conveying to others but being unable to figure it out you just kept staring at them and basking in the woman's strange beauty.

Rising her arms the woman took air and began singing in a surprisingly smooth husky voice which made the women in the hall stop glaring at her and instead listen intently to the song which apparently was unknown to them.

The woman kept singing and making slight dancing movements as she flowed elegantly through the assembled guests charming them all with her strange attractiveness.

The moment she came close to where Hinata and Sasuke, the woman casted an uncharacteristic intense look to both of them and with a faint smile continued her way towards the main scenario where two of the performers stood making their complex choreography.

Hinata and Sasuke for some reason couldn't help but feel somewhat embarrassed over the small attention of the singer and both turned when they caught each other blushing lightly.

Just as the singer reached the scenario she finished the song earning the thunderous applause of the entire crowd, including the cold Uchiha and his guards.

As the applause subsided the singer bowed slightly and drank the glass of water provided in a rather showy way by one performer she continued to address her public.

Smiling faintly she said "Good evening ladies and gentlemen it is my wish that you are enjoying the occasion; in the name of the people of Soundya let me welcome you to our beautiful corner of the galaxy"

"It is truly joyous of an event when two great adversaries cast aside their differences in the name of peace but most importantly for the peace and tranquility of our community" continued the lady earning several nods and a few claps.

Hearing them the singer chuckled, sounding almost amused, but quickly composing herself she continued "But today is a day of days for certain, for a very important thing will happen within the next few days"

This last piece made several people turn around somewhat confused as the meaning behind those words was lost to them.

"Indeed, today is a day of days…" said the girl as the mist which remained lingering in the air from the beginning of the spectacle, thickened in a second laying the entire place in a state of confusion and screams as no one manage to see beyond their nose.

The Uchiha guards quickly took to their weapons but before they could even ignite them, they saw nimble silhouettes move through the mist and within moments they all laid dead with slit throats.

On her side Tayuya was quick to react and managed to hide under the food tables and there grab her flute, which she smuggled strapped to her thigh.

With Sasuke and Hinata, Sasuke pulled his sword and quickly ignited it casting a barely visible blue energy field over the blade which reminded Hinata of Naruto's Feranian Gauntlet; Hinata on her side was quick to stand behind the Uchiha and tap into her micro bead with which she expected to contact Shikamaru but to her grimace static was all she got and the moment she turned to the still opened gates of the hall, these closed down along with the blast doors.

As the blast curtains fell on the observation windows of the station the singer placed a white mask with red stripes over her face and with a much graver voice she announced "Ladies and gentlemen of both the Federation and the Uchiha Pact; let it be known that in this day, the Soundya Systems formally declare their independence and right for self determination. It is my duty to see that all of you acknowledge this new reality and make an oath of non aggression"

Gritting his teeth Sasuke told Hinata "I apologize if you find it strange that I am suddenly very excited!"

Hinata just grimaced at the situation and couldn't help but wonder "Where are you Naruto?"

**AN: Done!**

**Long time no see my dear readers, but Skyrim is certainly a very keen hunter who kept shooting arrows to my knees or more accurately my hands every time I tried to write!**

**Now, I originally intended to be done with the entire thing in one chapter but instead decided to cut in half and have an update before New Year.**

**On next chapter you will see the resolution to this unexpected turn and the next destination to our merry crew. Also once I am done with this part, the grand story will pick up pace so we will see romantic developments and main plot lines and concepts detailed.**

**Hope you spend a New Year with your loved ones and seriously commit to your promises for 2012, since it may be end of times! So be realistic about them! Ha ha ha!**

**See you soon on my other stories!**

**Read, Enjoy and Review!**


	17. Bare thy Fangs

**Chapter 17: Bare thy Fangs**

"Shikamaru! I checked with everyone else and no one has found any path into the observation decks! Fortress personnel say that their entire code systems have been overwritten and automatic security systems are preventing us from reaching the main panels" said Chouji between pants as he just returned from collecting data on the current situation that began when the fortress went into lockdown sealing the observation decks with all the guests inside.

"What about the Magister?" asked Shikamaru as he read the reports being sent to him from the other Justicars prowling the base looking for hostiles and ways to access the observation decks.

"Her excellence and the one of the Uchiha dignitaries are safe and currently placed under strict guard" replied Chouji who was now gathering his armament.

"Any word from within the observation decks? Communications help calls, Naruto?" said an exasperated Shikamaru as he just couldn't find a way into the supremely designed fortress and hacking the security systems would take weeks.

"Nothing yet, whoever is inside managed to jam any sort of communications with the outside; there's also another problem" said Chouji finishing to strap his heavy cannon.

"What?" said Shikamaru not really wanting to hear more bad news.

"The Uchiha cruise went in to battle readiness and reports are coming of wide scale riots occurring throughout the Soundya Systems" said Chouji with no hint of humor as to make perfectly clear that it wasn't a joke.

"Troublesome…"muttered Shikamaru as he rubbed his temples.

"Justicar Nara! Report immediately what's going on?" demanded Magister Arremius as she took long strides towards Shikamaru while escorted by her bodyguards.

"I spoke too soon…"thought Shikamaru as he turned to address the Magister.

"The observation decks with the majority of the guests are closed off and we currently have no means as to know what's going on within. No demands have been made so far and I was just notified that the Soundya Systems have gone into turmoil" declared Shikamaru being as direct as possible.

"Damn it! Today of all days! And how could this happen with a base full of Justicars?" exploded Arremius making her bodyguards flinch with her utter fury.

Shikamaru did indeed wondered the same thing, as it was virtually impossible to bypass the heightened security, the state of the art systems and over a hundred Justicars. The only possible answer was one that was almost too ludicrous to even consider but making his mind rush with every plausible scenario only one made this disaster possible.

"Madam Magister, I request that you attend the developing situation on the Soundya Systems with haste, I also recommend that you do not lose sight of the Uchiha envoy" said Shikamaru with a serious tone and a stern gaze that made Arremius falter slightly.

"You don't mean…" began to say Arremius as Shikamaru rose a hand to silence her.

"I don't mean anything your excellence; I am only covering all my bases. The situation hasn't become a violent one so far so we will have to trust our man on the scene" said Shikamaru.

Arremius's face became somewhat illuminated with relief and nodded going back to attend her duties as Magister.

"Good thing you didn't said who is our man on the inside" said Chouji with a smirk knowing that Shikamaru willingly omitted mentioning Naruto as the only Justicar on the scene.

"Let us hope that Naruto doesn't be himself this time around…"said Shikamaru going back to his ship.

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"Damn it! This thing doesn't budge a thing!" cursed Naruto as he stood from the ground without his jacket as he uselessly tried once more of opening the blast door leading back to the main observation deck where his partners and the other Uchiha envoy were trapped with who knows what threat.

Observing his sweat covered chest and his strong muscles working, Kitara held unto Naruto's jacket as she seemed unmoved by their current situation.

Feeling her gaze on him Naruto said with an ill humor "You don't seem bothered at all by this!"

Smiling devilry Kitara placed Naruto's jacket on a bench and pulling a silk handkerchief swept Naruto's face of sweat.

"What's the point in worrying? We don't know what's going on, this could be a hostage situation, an accident or just a malfunction? Either way it's not something that we can solve at the moment so there is no point in wasting energies without reason" replied Kitara as Naruto went back to try his communicator but just growled angrily when static was everything that could be heard.

"Your cousin is in there! Doesn't it worries you that he could be in danger?" said an increasingly agitated Naruto.

"Don't worry he is quite a capable man and as I said before, the place is packed with security and our own personal guards, I seriously question that anyone would dare to try something in such an auspicious day" replied Kitara unmoved but amused at Naruto's current frantic state.

Seeing that he was getting nowhere Naruto went back to the door and began examining it trying to find a weak spot that he could exploit.

"Sakura or Shikamaru would have already figured how to get through…" angrily thought Naruto as he saw how helpless he was at the moment and all due to a simple door.

Placing her hand on Naruto's shoulder, Kitara was slightly surprised by the irradiating warmth of his body and the near perceptible anger that felt as an electrical current.

She smiled and stepped in front of Naruto "Say, would you like me to help?"

Naruto blinked in surprise and said "And how can you help? Aren't you just some spoiled princess?"

Laughing at Naruto's rather poor assessment Kitara moved her head sideways and began "Unlike women in the Federation, Uchiha women, specially noble ones, are taught to be as useful as possible and be fit to survive; And in my particular case, I have always been the ambitious one so knowing about military affairs is part of the things I should know if the chance ever arises that I may seize power…"

Naruto was left agape as Kitara flashed him a dangerous smile and turned to examine the blast door going about its entire length and stopping to see places as if seeing something that no one else could.

Just as she turned and was about to say something at Naruto, the speakers of the fortress flared to life and a smooth male voice addressing the personnel on board the fortress came through.

"Attention Magister of the Enterran Federation and High delegate of the Uchiha Pact, these are our demands…"

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Hinata and Sasuke remained back to back in constant alert as the singer who apparently was a man and a terrorist began speaking on the Fortress's communications system.

"Attention Magister of the Enterran Federation and High delegate of the Uchiha Pact, these are our demands. First, the Federation must withdraw their forces, ships and entire personnel from the Soundya Systems territories" said the man through his mask earning gasps from the confused guests who tried to find each other amidst the thick mist that clouded them.

"The second is that the Uchiha Pact makes a treaty by which it resigns its intentions to impose their rule on the Soundya Systems" said the voice.

"The third, the Federation Vessels are to unload their cyclonic torpedoes and place them on a cargo freighter within the hour. This is to show our conviction with our independence as if any part dares to violate our demands we shall lay waste to the worlds you covet" said the voice leaving no space to think of lies or deception.

"Bold these guys heh? What an excellent opportunity to render such spirit compliant!" said Sasuke gripping his sword tighter and start to walk into the mist.

Just as he began Hinata grabbed his arm and hissed "What are you doing? You don't know what they are capable of and we can't even see them! Not to mention that you are putting every single guest here in danger!"

"Who cares about these bootlickers and petty businessmen? In the grand scheme of things they are barely cockroaches unworthy of the warriors who win the galaxy or the explorers who brave the unknown and discover wonders untold of! This people are expendable, beings such as me or you are irreplaceable!" said Sasuke with a contagious conviction that almost made Hinata release his arm but the moment a woman screamed as the guests began to get dragged to the exposed center of the Observation Deck.

"Wait! Let us observe and assess the situation! Only then can we ensure to act properly and…"began saying Hinata to a smirking Sasuke who apparently liked what she said.

"Not my style but we are in your home territory; very well we shall wait for an opening and launch a merciless surprise attack on these fools" said Sasuke clearly exited over the dangerous situation.

Nodding still nervous about Sasuke's willingness to attack the kidnappers, she went to focus on her eyes and soon enough that familiar pain was back but having enduring it several times now she managed to withstand it and was now beginning to see shapes through the thick mist and was quick to pull Sasuke away from the kidnappers who were still moving guests to the center of the observation deck.

As they retreated further a couple of small but surprisingly strong hands pulled them to the ground and behind an overturned food table.

Sasuke was about to strike the assailant but Hinata's hand managed to stop his arm as she saw that it was Tayuya who had pulled them into safety.

"We don't have much time before they get to us, what's the plan?" hurriedly asked Tayuya as she held her flute close to her mouth.

"There are twenty assailants in total and every Uchiha guard seems to have been killed already. They seem to be armed with close quarters weapons capable of penetrating armor and side arms of unknown caliber and power; it's safe to assume this are professionals so getting them off guard is unlikely" said Hinata making Tayuya seem awed and Sasuke look at her with quizzical eyes.

"How did you?" was about to ask Sasuke when he observed the bulging veins next to Hinata's eyes.

"Psionic skills" thought Sasuke trying his hardest to remember what species possessed such a skill that allowed her to apparently see through objects with great clarity.

"Crap! Any exits? I saw the blast doors shutting down and didn't want to leave you or Naruto behind" said Tayuya trying her hardest to keep her head low as to avoid being detected too soon.

"Speaking of which, have you seen Naruto?" asked Hinata to Tayuya as her initial sweep didn't brought up Naruto or for that matter the black haired Uchiha.

Blushing a bit embarrassed Tayuya said "No, I was collecting supplies for the ship"

Seeing the large assortment of food bagged in a cloth Hinata tried to sigh but Sasuke interrupted her.

"Did you see my cousin? Black hair, devil's smile and annoying aura?" asked Sasuke as his eyes had turned red with black tomoes on them.

Sweeping the place again Hinata didn't see her or Naruto for that matter and when she tried to look through the blast doors they were too thick to penetrate and the constant pain in her eyes made her stop using her skill.

"No, they aren't here but they could be trapped inside one of the adjacent observation decks…" said Hinata.

"That tramp! She probably went off to have a sample of Federation's meat!" exclaimed an infuriated Sasuke making Hinata and Tayuya blush with the implications of those words.

"That idiot! Only him would neglect his duties over some random skirt!" said Tayuya blushing over the memories of their encounter on Augya.

"Oh Naruto, please don't tell me it's true…" thought a suddenly saddened Hinata as the mist began to lift.

The three of them got back into alert and doing their best to hide from the assailants who were surrounding the kneeling guests.

Appraising them better, they noticed that they were wearing light combat armor painted in the colors of the performers that pretended to be. They all had close fitting helmets that resembled masks and their knives and side arms seemed custom made as to probably hide the maker.

Their leader who was now wearing light power armor was apparently unarmed as his hands arms were folded and there were no apparent weapons on him.

He slowly surveyed the deck stopping on the turned table at the far end.

"Whoever is hiding behind that table, you better come out and give yourself up; I promise not to hurt you as long as you are compliant" said the smooth voice while two of his men moved in to capture whoever was hiding.

"Crap, what do we do?" asked Tayuya strengthening her grip on her flute and taking air to play a deadly tune.

"I-I-I don't know, we could give ourselves in, but I fear what they might do to Sasuke" said Hinata as she pondered her options.

"We take them down" flatly said Sasuke as he once again energized his sword.

"What?" said Hinata and Tayuya as one.

"If we take them down quickly we will solve the hostage situation and minimize casualties. Thornian, use that flute to take them off balance, use your strongest note on them it doesn't matter if it afflicts the hostages, as long as they don't die they won't complain" ordered Sasuke to Tayuya who considered what to do and turned to look at Hinata.

Not having a better idea and seeing the Uchiha preparing for combat she nodded to Tayuya who in turn pulled a candle and gave those pieces to both.

"Plug your ears with these things, they won't protect you fully from my notes but should be enough to allow you some edge over them, though if they have filters you will be on equal footing" said Tayuya.

"Don't worry the surprise should be enough to get an edge" confidently said Sasuke as he plugged his ears.

"Damn it! Why am I letting this guy order me around? The hostages are in danger but we are the last help they will get, if we give ourselves up then the kidnappers will have full control!" thought Hinata as she plugged her ears and ripped the side of her dress as to allow her more freedom.

"On three!" signaled Sasuke with his fingers.

Slowly Sasuke counted with his fingers as Hinata and Tayuya gulped down their worries.

On three Tayuya blew her flute with a mighty screeching tune that made everyone in the deck flinch with pain as they lost their balance and tumbled.

At that instant and with some hesitance Sasuke and Hinata leapt from behind the table and with great speed approached the stunned kidnappers.

Sasuke's crimson eyes flashed with fury and excitement as he activated his power sword and cut down a kidnapper from shoulder to groin cauterizing the wound avoiding the unpleasant blood splatter, after this he went for the closest one and cut him down as well.

Hinata on her side had delivered crushing open palm strikes to the other assailants using once more her Psionic powers to locate the weakest parts in their armor and hit them as hard as she could rendering them unconscious.

As Sasuke and Hinata made their way to the central stage the leader watched unmoved as his men got beaten by only two "guests".

Observing farther away he noticed the crimson hair of the Flutist who apparently gave them their advantage.

Lifting his arm, the room felt suddenly cold and way in the back Tayuya stopped playing as her finger went numb with the cold that surrounded her.

"W-W-What?" managed to say Tayuya as she felt the numbness of her finger climb to the rest of her body and it began to tremble as to fight the cold.

Hearing the music stop Hinata turned to see Tayuya hugging herself and laying down as she couldn't remain standing.

"Tayuya!" screamed Hinata as she doubled back and went for Tayuya.

Sasuke did notice as well but didn't cared, the girl was a soldier and so must be ready to sacrifice herself for the greater good.

Ignoring the fact that her combat partner had left the fighting, his eyes flared once more and with great skill grabbed the sword of one of his fallen guards and threw it towards another kidnapper that was reaching for him.

As the kidnappers regained their footing and went after him, Sasuke grinned wildly with excitement and with the grace of an expert swordsman cut them down neatly.

Realizing that all that remained was the leader, Sasuke grabbed another sword from his guards and leapt to the scenario closing his swords like scissors as he went to behead the leader.

But the moment the swords were about to cut the man's neck, he disappeared from in front of Sasuke and not even his eyes managed to see where he had gone.

As he feared the worst his warrior instinct told him, he felt a chilling pain go through his back from the hip to the base of his neck as his entire spine shut down with cold rendering him motionless.

Just as Hinata tended to the barely conscious Tayuya, she couldn't avoid the feeling that something was advancing to her at neck breaking speed.

The moment she turned her eyes, all she managed to see was the expressionless white mask of the leader inches away from her face.

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"I have to commend your Federation engineers, they didn't slacked making this blast doors and the walls around them. It seems that the ventilation system isn't going to work either as its centralized and probably leads to the core system instead of connecting the rooms" said Kitara as she finished examining the structure of the fortress.

"Then is it impossible to go through?" asked Naruto growing frustrated once more.

"There is no such thing as impossible, but I concede that this is quite the challenge" replied Kitara running her hand over the blast door once more trying to figure a way.

Feeling his frustration quickly turn to anger Naruto smashed his fist against the blast door making a loud resonation that made Kitara impressed and curious.

"Now that's strange…" said Kitara placing her ear next to the door and her eyes began to scan the fringes of the door.

"What?" asked Naruto but Kitara's risen hand shut him up.

"I see, they really placed every bit of technology and design on this though they probably never expected something other than an explosion to hit these doors" said Kitara walking back to Naruto.

"Listen mister Justicar, these doors are state of the art anti blast technology which means that nothing short of a direct rail cannon shot would blow them apart. Thankfully we aren't an explosion but intelligent creatures" said a proud Kitara relishing on her intelligence.

"So…"said Naruto at a loss.

Sighing over Naruto's confusion she said "The latest technology on blast doors specifies that allowing the gates minor movement helps counter the force of an explosion by twenty percent and absorb the damage more easily without compromising it's strength of durability whereas older doors are fixed in their place making them vulnerable to direct concentrated hits which manage to punch small holes in it"

"So basically these doors are stronger isn't it?" said Naruto not really seeing Kitara's point.

"Movement Naruto, movement! These doors can move slightly to better hold explosions and great impacts but that strength is also a weakness. If we make this door reverberate constantly then the mechanism will break and the door will be off its hinges and we will be able to move it!" said Kitara.

"And how do we make it reverberate?" asked Naruto still not clear on Kitara's plan.

Going to Naruto, Kitara grabbed his hand and gently caressed his knuckles "We use these mighty weapons until the door collapses"

Making an awed expression, Naruto sighed seeing that his had forsaken his gauntlet as to not be armed and raise suspicion during the reception.

Naruto went to the door and attempted to hit but unlike the last time, it didn't even resonated making Kitara suspicious as of the reason.

Trying again with a now bloodied fist Naruto tried again without more luck.

Kitara saw that indeed Naruto's punches were quite powerful and each could easily kill a grown man but they weren't enough to match or exceed the strength of the punch that gave her the idea in the first place.

Seeing that Naruto was just exhausting and hurting himself, Kitara remembered that anger was the trigger of the hidden potential within Naruto and so went to Naruto stopping his futile attempts.

"Maybe it was a bit too much to ask from a Justicar! As I said we should better stay put and use our time more wisely instead of bashing our bodies against the door!" said Kitara trying to surge the anger in Naruto.

Panting Naruto looked at Kitara quizzically and said "Ah don't worry, perseverance is the key here! Captain Kakashi always said that patience and hard work yields great things!

Going back to the door, Naruto left Kitara dumbstruck.

Welling up her own anger Kitara was about to scream her mind at Naruto and perhaps include a couple of jabs at his manhood when both heard a powerful screech coming from the other side of the door.

"What was that?" asked Kitara feeling a bit dizzy suddenly.

"Tayuya!" realized Naruto as he clenched his fist once more and struck the door making it resonate even stronger than before.

"That's it, again and try to do it faster!" said Kitara standing behind Naruto.

Naruto went back to it and began striking the door harder with each hit making the door begin to resonate constantly and visibly vibrating.

As the door vibrated harder and harder the screeching sound stopped, making Naruto fear the worst and making him go desperate over not knowing what was transpiring behind the blast door.

Grinding his teeth, Naruto roared as his fist struck the door but this time the door bended outwards making breaking sounds across the wall as it was clearly breaking down the systems holding it in place.

As Naruto's anger was literally tearing apart the blast door, Kitara couldn't help but feel aroused at the raw power being displayed by such a beautiful creature.

She could only see Naruto's golden hair flowing wildly as his pony tail became undone, his white teeth shut tightly flashing the light, his veins marking the tanned skin and his eyes burning sapphire flames.

"Oh my…" gasped Kitara as the door kept bending and was about to give in.

Roaring with fury the door finally gave and Naruto pushed once more effectively tearing the door down and jumping into the main observation deck.

As the awed guests saw the furious golden haired beast that entered the deck and screamed thinking of yet another assailant coming to doom them, Naruto observed the entire place and saw the limp form of the Uchiha noble with his back covered in solid ice.

Seeing the large number of dead assailants and Uchiha guards he guessed that violence had taken place there.

Fearing for his friends Naruto noticed on the opposite side of the deck the shivering form of Tayuya still trying to reach her flute and one of the assailants holding Hinata by the neck as he held her high.

Hinata's skin was pale and it looked as if all warmth had left her body as her eyes seemed to be dull and absent of light.

Seeing his friends in danger Naruto saw everything in red and jumped with astonishing speed at the last assailant who amazingly dropped Hinata and dodged with ease the assault of the enraged Naruto.

In his rage Naruto ignored the fallen Hinata and refocused on the enemy in front of his eyes.

"Stop, or don't you care for the wellbeing of the guests? If I want to I can snap freeze this room in a second" said the assailant with a smooth voice while raising a hand to try and stop Naruto recognizing his threat and the lack of support.

Growling deeply Naruto flexed his hands open and closed while showing a feral grin "You did quite a number in here, you think I'll let you go that easily? And by the looks of it you are on the end of your gamble…"

The guests were suddenly more afraid of their savior than their kidnapper given the sheer hostility being emanated from the feral looking man.

"Don't be foolish, I wished to avoid unnecessary dead, but I am not afraid of you or anyone for that matter" said the stranger adopting a strange fighting stance.

"Let's see about that!" growled Naruto as he once more launched a swift attack towards the stranger who sidestepped him easily and slashed Naruto's left shoulder leaving a crust of ice on top of it.

Naruto half screamed but was quick to shatter the ice by flexing his arm and moving it slightly.

The stranger was quite surprised as he was certain that the sudden shift in temperature would render his arm useless.

"You'll have to try harder than that!" screamed Naruto as he delivered a powerful kick to the center of the stranger's chest sending him to crash against the wall.

Naruto walked calmly at the stranger with a feral grin plastered on his face.

The stranger coughed and tried to stand up again seeing that his armor was cracked where Naruto had struck it.

The moment Naruto went again for a strike the stranger once more managed to dodge him and the moment he was about to attack the back of Naruto's head, he went down avoiding his hand and sweep him off his feet.

The stranger was surprised but barely had any time to ponder how Naruto's speed had increased in just a second as heel drop kick was coming to smash his head.

The stranger managed to move away in time as Naruto's heel drop shattered the ground.

The stranger jumped away from Naruto who was apparently relishing the confrontation and taking his time to make it last as much as possible.

"He is using some sort of Psionic power but he doesn't seem to be quite aware of it…" thought the stranger as he dodged Naruto's barrage of attacks which were becoming faster and faster and increasingly more difficult to avoid.

Seeing that if Naruto managed to land a strike on him, it would be his end the stranger jumped away and in a moment a thick mist appeared surrounding the observation deck once more.

"You have a lot of nasty tricks don't you coward?" growled Naruto as he slowly turned trying to locate his prey.

"As I said before I am more than willing to end your life and that of the guests if you push me. Aren't Federation agents supposed to prioritize the hostages over the delinquents?" said the voice as he moved around to avoid being detected.

Naruto growled as the guests began to whimper due to the increasingly dangerous situation and the threat of murder.

"Shut up!" snapped Naruto making the guests go silent though they still gave muttered whimpers.

Unknown to both, Kitara observed with a smile from the now opened door and with her own crimson eyes managed to locate the two contesting foes.

"I wonder mister Justicar, what will you do? Will you do what's necessary to claim your vengeance or give in to enlarge the lives of these simpletons?" thought Kitara still enthralled by Naruto's wild aura.

The stranger saw that his opponent was unlike anything he had ever seen before and that for some reason his ice paralyzing attacks were having no effect on this raging beast, and by the looks of it he didn't cared much for the lives of those within the deck.

If he didn't control the situation soon his gambit would fail and things would become much more violent on the Soundya Systems and though he and his master had already foreseen such an scenario he wished he could have avoided it.

"I'll have to kill him…" grimly thought the stranger moving silently to stand behind the blonde beast and start his attack.

Creating a blade of ice he took a swift step and went for the kill aiming directly at Naruto's heart but just as the tip of the blade was to pierce his back, Naruto sidestepped him and with a feral grin he said "Took you long enough!"

In that instant Naruto smashed his elbow against the stranger's mask and sent him flying back to the far wall in the back dispersing the mist on the observation deck.

Kitara almost laughed in delight seeing the warrior in Naruto quickly adapting and becoming more and more efficient as the battle progressed.

The mask of the assailant broke and fell from his face revealing the slightly bruised face of the stranger.

Turning to look at him murderously Naruto saw the stranger's face and said confused "You a woman?"

For some reason the stranger felt slightly insulted and proceeded to create the mist once more but this time the temperature of the room began to drop drastically as the mist began to crystalize and small snowflakes started to escape the ventilation system.

The guests started to shiver uncontrollably and many began to openly beg for their lives as the terrible battle seemed to rage around them.

Naruto just began to walk undaunted by the change in heat towards the stranger and with a grin said "You think that'll stop me?"

"Apparently not but I wonder about those agents and the Uchiha envoys, they don't seem to share your brutality" replied the smooth voice making Naruto turn the bodies of his companions now covered in snow.

At this sight the fury of combat left Naruto's body and he quickly left the battle to help his companions giving his back to the stranger who was about to throw an ice dagger to Naruto's back but the moment it did, the ice dagger exploded after a loud shot was heard.

Standing on the other side of the room stood Kitara pointing the gun of one of her dead guards aiming towards the stranger as her eyes shone with crimson light that made him shiver.

"This has turned to be quite an entertaining evening but I am afraid that my cousin needs some medical attention and my fun was just interrupted by your untimely words. So stay still while I blow your kneecaps!" said Kitara firing again but her shot missed as the stranger jumped and determined that he was no longer in control.

"It would have been so much better without resistance. Know this Federation and Uchiha, what happens from now on will be on your hands" declared the voice once more involving the entire place in mist and a moment later the sound of the blast doors opening.

As the blast doors opened and the mist poured into the rest of the fortress confusion followed as alarms flared all over the place and guards rushed in to control the situation.

As hell broke loose Naruto was no longer placing any attention to the criminal and was holding Hinata in his arms while Tayuya was now covered with a cloth to make her warm.

"Hey hey Hinata, are you alright? I am here…" said Naruto as he cradled Hinata who slowly opened her eyes feeling his impressive warmth.

Kitara from afar watched the scene as she placed a powered sword next to Sasuke's spine as to melt the ice and probably give him a very shocking wake up call.

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After the blast doors leading to the observation decks were opened a few precious moments of confusion ensued the entirety of the Fortress and the vessels circulating it as they all demanded to know what the status of the hostage situation was.

The mist covering the deck spilled surrounding the guards which rushed inside to storm the place and take down the assailants and rescue the priority targets which were the Uchiha envoys.

The guards and Justicars that entered the deck were surprised to see that the situation was already under control though they found many bodies lying around, some of them quartered to pieces and other who didn't had many apparent fatal injuries, had foam spilling out from their mouths indicating the use of some lethal toxin.

Thankfully none of the guests of the Uchiha envoys presented severe injuries though many of them seemed to be heavily traumatized due to the violence exercised not by the kidnappers but the operatives that rescued them.

Magister Arremius was terrified that the deals she had already signed would fall apart but to her surprise Itachi took the situation with unnerving tranquility and when the two other Uchiha came out, both were showing excited grins making the Magister question about the upbringing methods of Uchiha nobility.

The Fortress attempted to implement a lockdown but several diversionary explosions in one of the hangars created panic among the many guests who demanded to be allowed to leave on their vessels.

In the confusion that the explosion of some freighters with goods from the Soundya Systems provoked one of the picket ships reported that a gunship sized vessel managed to go into hyperspace heading towards the currently restless systems.

Shikamaru managed to get the Fortress back into control and reported that the security breach had been detected and dealt with assuring every involved party that no further attacks would be carried out in the Fortress.

What he omitted to say was that the security breach was a fellow Justicar who tried to defend himself by saying that he had gotten false information on a lead. Shikamaru decided to put him and his retinue under arrest and sent them back to Terra for further inquiries to be conducted by the Vigilant Jiraiya.

Meanwhile the situation over at the Soundya Systems was growing worse at every moment as the riots had broken into full-fledged combats with weapons of all kinds, very likely smuggled over the course of many years.

The Federation's law enforcement agencies were being overrun and in some worlds all contact had been lost while in others they had already given up and surrendered to the rioters.

The ships in orbit were being blocked by local vessels so they could not maneuver into position to lend aid or make orbital bombardments should the order be given and so far the Armies Magistrate hadn't issued orders to destroy these vessels.

What made the Federation's leadership nervous was that the riots had worsened the moment the situation at the Fortress was resolved speaking of a carefully made plan with contingencies and many stages to be carried out.

Shikamaru was already working with other Justicars and civilian authorities on a response to the developing situation as the Armies Magistrate had already ordered the vessels around the fortress to load up soldiers and prepare to embark towards Soundya.

In all of this as everything quieted down, at the medical bay stood Naruto sitting by his two companions who were peacefully sleeping after medics had confirmed that none suffered serious or lasting injuries.

The doctors explained that the sudden and highly focalized temperature shift had shocked their bodies to shut down as their nerves failed to adapt quickly enough.

Still Naruto sat by their side with his anger barely in check not entirely satisfied after learning of the assailant's escape.

"Seems like everything went well after all; the hero saves the day and the curtain drops, but I wonder, where is the applause?" said Kitara walking into the medical bay already changed into a dark red simple dress which seemed far more comfortable than her previous attire.

"There's never applause for Justicars…"replied Naruto somewhat glad to see the woman who had helped him fight the ice bending criminal.

"I beg to differ, but doesn't Justicars Nara or Haruno always get recognition and media coverage? They are already considered heroes and are quite known over at home as a reminder of the Federation's remaining strength" said Kitara pulling over a chair and sitting next to Naruto who leant on her to her surprise.

Smiling over his actions Kitara said "You were impressive back there; to be honest I have never seen such…such ferocity and might! Is your people as great as you are?"

Laughing lightly the suddenly tired Naruto said "Nah, I am a child compared to them; specially my mother! She would have crushed that guy in an instant and without effort"

Licking her lips with interest she replied "Still, you managed to beat one of the galaxies most dangerous species"

"What?" asked Naruto suddenly more revitalized.

"You beat an Arctarian, a tremendously rare and dangerous opponent" said Kitara making Naruto rest his head slowly on her lap.

"Arctarian? Are they strong?" said Naruto allowing to be tendered in such manner.

"Yes, very, one might even say that after the herculean Hercians the Arctarians are the strongest in terms of danger and skills. Though their number is very small, they make up with tremendously powerful skills based all on Psionic manipulation of liquids" said Kitara.

"I've never heard of them before…" said Naruto closing his eyes.

"No surprise there, Arctara left known space almost thirty years ago as it continued its unfortunate travel across the Galaxy" said Kitara making Naruto open his eyes again.

Seeing his lack of knowledge, Kitara indulged him "Arctara was once a prosperous world located in a system full of ice rings and their planet was mostly covered by water with little land mass. One day, approximately three thousand years ago they face something of an apocalypse when a drifting planetoid travelled towards their system after a supernova deviated it from its original course leaving little time for the Federation to enact preventing measures so all they could do was to evacuate as many as possible from the planet's surface but with such little time more than half of the population wouldn't make it"

Kitara continued as she started to mess with Naruto's hair "The Planetoid was attacked by Federation vessels but their firepower wasn't enough to destroy it and the most they would get was to prevent it from directly crashing on Arctara, but it would still inflict apocalyptic damage to the planet rendering it lifeless and very likely pull it off from its orbit"

Naruto was now enthralled trying to imagine such events.

"As it was expected the Planetoid provoked cataclysmic tsunamis and destruction on Arctara and it also pulled it from its orbit. What no one could have predicted is that Arctara followed the planetoid and became a drifting planet itself and due to the sudden freezing of its oceans and the loss of its atmosphere it became the largest comet in the known galaxy" continued Kitara.

"Arctarians relocated to new worlds and mingled with human colonizers to the point where the Arctarians no longer existed as a pure breed, but a thousand years after the amazing events, Arctara returned and as expected hundreds of research vessels followed the gigantic comet as it travelled through space. But what no one could expect was that they began to receive communications from beneath the Comet's surface" said Kitara enjoying the bright childlike eyes of Naruto.

"A group of very stubborn Arctarians had learned of the coming apocalypse and had dug long tunnels beneath the surface to reach great caverns beneath the oceans of their world. Many of these tunnels collapsed but enough of them withstood the planetoids passing and allowed a very small number of Arctarians to survive with whatever little technology they managed to salvage" continued Kitara in a wise tone.

"Surviving underground meant a lot of effort, creativity and sacrifice but this in turn steeled the Arctarians enough so they could master their now very harsh world. When they came back the Federation discovered that they had thrived and evolved greatly becoming capable of controlling fluids making by controlling their natural states, that's why one comes to think that they can create ice but as easily as they make they can evaporate it or melt it, making them incredibly dangerous as many opportunistic pirates and rogues came to realize when they tried to pick on the wandering people" said Kitara with an evil smile imagining the horror those fools felt when they saw their limbs frozen and break.

"But how did an Arctarian remained here?" asked Naruto wondering about his opponent.

"When the Arctarians came back some of their lot decided to move towards a recently discovered world which held many similarities to their old and start working on it to make it a suitable home for their people as they said that the emptiness of the unknown space held far too many dangers as to survive them constantly" answered Kitara.

"Every time Arctara came back from their thousand long journeys, more of their kind moved to the new world. It's likely that he was taken from their people by raiders or during an unfortunate event" said Kitara also wondering how such a precious child ended up in the Soundya Systems.

"So he is all alone…"said Naruto once more closing his eyes again as Kitara caressed his hair further.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Two days have gone by since the Hostages crisis ended but the situation on Soundya was becoming worse by the minute as now the governmental buildings were laid siege by the now called rebels.

More vessels had arrived to the Fortress and under Magistrate Senju's authority and the Vigilant's approval Justicars and military personnel would initiate the operations to settle down the crisis.

Shikamaru was chosen to lead the Justicars efforts as to pick out the leaders of the revolt while the military units would proceed to intimidate the rebels without resorting to further bloodshed.

The Uchiha's had offered their own intelligence as it was understandable that such a chaotic occurrence wasn't their usual method and their goals at the time were of major importance to the Great Visionary.

Hinata and Tayuya had recovered well of their wounds but were almost placed back at the Medical Bay when Naruto almost crushed them with a bear hug.

Media had come as vultures to pick on the crisis aftermath and the resolution that saw the treaty among the two powers overcome a very sudden setback.

Magistrate Arremius and Itachi Uchiha handled the press very well making clear that the compromise for peace was stronger than a terrorist attack.

Still there was no mention of Naruto's actions to rescue the envoys and guests as many of them complained about the manner in which Justicar Uzumaki handled the situation seriously endangering their lives and putting them at great risk, not to mention the lack of respect he submitted them.

Naruto hadn't cared one bit and was just anxious to take his leave towards Soundya and find this rare attacker.

As the press conference was ending and the delegations were bidding their fare wells and wishes to keep working towards a brighter future, Kitara took the center stage and said "Ladies and Gentlemen of the press and to every living soul watching this transmission. Today a great crisis have been averted, terrorists were denied their goals and peace have survived; but none of this would have happened without the heroic efforts of a brave soul who vanquished great obstacles and did what was needed when it mattered"

At this Magistrate Arremius began to sweat bullets but seeing that cameras were on her as well managed to keep her composure and allowed Kitara to continue.

"Who's this hero?" asked one of the media members.

"Who else but the gallant Justicar Naruto Uzumaki! At the expense of his own integrity he faced an unknown assailant and if not for him, me nor my brother would be here now!" said Kitara extending her arm as to point the audience towards the now nervously smiling Naruto while Hinata and Tayuya looked at him surprised.

"Come here Justicar Uzumaki, the galaxy deserves to see the face of its heroes" said Kitara while inviting Naruto to come over.

Receiving a thunderous applause from the military personnel and Itachi Uchiha, Naruto felt compelled to step forward.

Climbing and accepting Kitara's hand she presented him to the galaxy and whispered to him "How does it feel?"

Whispering back he said "It's new that much I know, but you shouldn't have done this"

"Humility doesn't suits you Naruto, you are meant for so much more than being a simple Justicar. You should acknowledge this and find the path to greatness; it's in your blood I assure you" whispered back Kitara.

"Lady Kitara! Did his actions helped cement the treaty between the Federation and Pact?" asked a reporter as the applause died.

Once more replying before Magistrate Arremius, Kitara said "Indeed, the Justicar proved true to his oaths and helped the Federation in a time of crisis. But the Pact won't forget his actions as no good deed done to us goes unrewarded"

"And what will the Pact do for Justicar Uzumaki?" asked an emboldened reporter.

"What indeed?" said Kitara with dangerous eyes that made Naruto, Hinata and Tayuya feel nervous all of a sudden.

"I may not have the power to reward him properly in the name of the pact. But as a woman may reward his knight in shining armor, I shall reward a hero in the most humble manner" said Kitara as she pulled the taller Naruto down to her face.

The whole place went mute as Kitara kissed Naruto's lips slightly in a very chaste yet sensual kiss.

Magistrate Arremius was frozen between a mixture of horror over diplomatic consequences and the forced smile she managed to give in the face of such a situation.

Itachi Uchiha watched the scene much more serenely and was apparently pleased with the outcome while his brother seemed angry over not being recognized since he had cut down many of the terrorists.

The entire crowd broke into hollers and cheers as if this was a day of victory.

Hinata was somewhat shocked while Tayuya grabbed her flute trying to decide if melt his brain with a tune or perhaps liquefy his bones.

Meanwhile millions of kilometers away from there on board the Silk Hammer a very pissed pink haired Justicar smashed the screen on which the news was being transmitted.

**AN: Done!**

**Man that took me forever!**

**I am very sorry but I got an inspiration streak that compelled me to update another story four times in less than two weeks.**

**Now on to serious matters, given the very small support of this story I am considering putting it on a hiatus until I finish my other stories as they are easier to update and don't require me to think much about them.**

**I am still thinking about so leave your thoughts and we'll see what happens.**

**Congratulations to Giants, great game and well won!**

**Read, Enjoy and Review!**


	18. Resolve

**Chapter 18: Resolve**

"You enjoyed it, didn't you?" growled Tayuya at Naruto who was currently seated next to her in the cabin of the Daring Fox.

"Finally speaking to me? If you want a straight answer, it's not like I didn't enjoyed it, but I am sure as hell that I didn't planned it nor worked for it, for that matter! She forced herself on me and it's not like you can do something in front of the Galaxy's entire population!" replied Naruto with some indignation at the cold shoulder he has been receiving from his pilot.

"Yeah right, like Naruto Uzumaki doesn't chase every skirt that does as much cross your sight!" said Tayuya.

Right before Naruto retorted that Hinata interrupted with her own annoyed comment "Can we concentrate? The operation is only half way through and I don't think the soldiers in the cargo hold needs to listen you both on the public channel…"

At that Naruto and Tayuya realized that they were effectively in the public comm and already could hear the laughter of the soldiers who had so far remained silent to further listen into the Justicar's drama.

"Boy…" sighed Naruto as he watched through the armor glass of the cabin at the scene unfolding in front of him.

Shikamaru under Tsunade's permission had devised an strategy to deal with the current crisis in the Soundya systems although for it to have the smallest number of casualties it was to be carried out in large numbers, from many angles and showing a grim determination that hopefully would break the back of the rebels at the Soundya systems and force them into negotiations.

The first stage of this operation was the boarding and securing of every single vessel used by the rebels to block access to the planets. Once secured the orbits around the planets, all communications from beyond them would be cut as to leave the rebels in suspense and allow their paranoia to take the best of them.

The second part of the operation was to land elite squads and infiltrate them to provide intel, sabotage the rebels and if the situation allowed it cut off the head of the local rebel leaders.

The third part of the operation was to land full regiments en force alongside armor as to deliver the final strike hoping the rebels would no longer have the resolve to fight and force rendition upon them.

At the moment Naruto and his crew had already boarded and secured seven ships which crews showed little resistance once they realized against which particular Justicar they were up against.

At last the first stage had been finished and large ships had been placed in low orbit casting threatening shadows upon the cities of the planets below as part of the psychological warfare planned by Shikamaru while smaller drop ships began their descent into the planet through unpopulated areas and then moved up towards the rebel settlements to start the second stage.

The Daring Fox was one of the best ships available for the job so Shikamaru had assigned Naruto with one of the most critical parts of the operation alongside an elite squad of commandos to infiltrate the heart of the rebellion where, according to intel, stood the main leader and the assassin that nearly took the Uchiha envoys hostage.

Naruto's orders were to begin infiltration, start intelligence gathering and sabotage operations and if possible, get a visual on the leaders as to better ascertain the best course of action to take over the capital city of Soundya Prime; which was likely to become a warzone soon given that the rebels here were the most disciplined and well-armed.

The Daring Fox was currently skimming the surface at the lowest altitude Tayuya could manage, which was just two meters above the ground, towards the main city of Soundya Prime; Dawn's Landing, the first colony of these wealthy systems.

Their landing zone was an apparently abandoned farm on the outskirts of the city and with the coverage of night and the storms provoked by the ship's low orbital above the planet, they expected to drop the vessel and deploy along the commandos.

"LZ on sight, making a surveillance circuit before landing. Everyone back there get ready!" barked Tayuya still in an ill mood.

"Let me out, I'll open the barn doors for you to hide the ship" said Naruto unclasping his seat belt and adjusting his Feranian Gauntlet.

"Be careful" said Hinata as Tayuya remained silent focused on her flight.

Naruto opened the side door of the ship and dropped to the ground rolling a couple of times before running low straight through the rain towards the barn while his eyes pierced through the rain, the darkness and the flashing of the raging storm.

Reaching the barn, Naruto noticed that the doors were closed and probably barred from the other side so before smashing it open with his gauntlet, he noticed that the barn had a large open window at the top near the roof.

Flexing his legs a couple of times, Naruto roared and jumped all the way to the window managing to grasp the edge of the window and pull himself in.

Inspecting the place he didn't saw anyone and jumped down as to open the doors which effectively had an active lock in place.

Right as he moved to unlock the door he heard the charging sound of a weapon behind him which sent him into an almost instinctive reaction that threw him low, rolling backwards and to a side effectively surprising the gun owner as he tried to aim at the flowing target.

Naruto reached the gun moving its barrel upwards while his gauntleted hand grabbed the enemy by the throat and lifted him. But right before he crushed the man's throat he heard a girlish "NO!" and a slight tug at his arm.

Still in battle mode, Naruto snarled at the new assailant but faltered when he noticed that it was a small girl of probably seven years old who had tears streaming down her face and fear etched on her small rounded face.

Seeing this the aggression in Naruto disappeared and finally noticed that he was holding a middle aged farmer by the throat and the poor man could barely keep breathing. So he dropped the man while still holding the gun, which was an outdated seven rounds shotgun of red explosive reactive.

The man began to cough while standing in front of her daughter knowing that he was no match for the younger and far stronger Naruto who was about to kneel and speak to them but apparently a communication stopped him in his tracks.

"Naruto, we finished our inspection round. Are the barn doors opened? Need assistance?" said Hinata making Naruto stand up again and began fiddling with the lock of the door.

Unable to open the gates, Naruto turned to the man and the child and said "I need this door open, would mind telling me the code? I don't want to smash it opened if I don't have to"

"Go away Federation scum!" snarled the man between breaths, but his daughter immediately jumped and went to unlock the door with celerity.

"Seyla!" half screamed the man when the doors began to open and blinding spotlights washed the interior of the farm.

"About time whiskers! Stand aside while I park this baby!" said Tayuya through the comm.

"You found people? Scans didn't showed any activity? Are they hostile?" said Hinata with a surprised tone.

"No, but jam signals in the vicinity just in case" replied Naruto as he carried the man and the girl to a side while the ship entered the barn and expertly landed without smashing anything.

The moment the ship touched down the gates of the ship opened and squad of twelve commandos began unloading equipment from the cargo hold while Tayuya and Hinata stepped down dressed in combat armor, painted in infiltration cammo.

Both girls approached Naruto who was breathing harder than usual and still holding on to the outdated shotgun. As they were about to speak to him, they noticed the angry looking farmer and her terrified little daughter.

"Should we secure them? They could alert the rebels of our plans" whispered Tayuya to Hinata who was currently more concerned with the disturbed look in Naruto's face.

"Don't put me in with those idiots! I told them a hundred times that this wasn't the way to claim our independence!" snarled the farmer clearly insulted at being compared to the rebels currently holding on to the capital of the planet.

"We didn't meant to insult you or take over your farm in such fashion, but we'll be commandeering it for a couple of days" said Hinata trying to appease the farmer who finally was back on his feet keeping an eye on the commandos deploying their equipment.

"Don't need for apologies, I am former military myself, I know the drill…Thought we could go unnoticed when the invasion began" said the man as he took the small girl in his arms and attempted to calm her down.

Hinata wanted to tell him that this wasn't an invasion but secrecy had primacy over diplomacy so she just limited herself to ensure that both the man and the girl would be safe and if needed evacuated off world towards a Federation's ship.

"Yeah right, you don't look like standard military so just don't make a mess of the place" said the man powering up the lights of the barn.

"Madam, equipment is set and ready, already catching comm chatter and beginning scan of troop movements within the city" said one of the commandos to Hinata since Naruto was still in a dazed state.

"Look for a way into the city for the teams and check if any rebels are coming this way" replied Hinata as she moved towards Naruto.

Just as she was about to touch Naruto's arm, he recoil probably sensing her close and snapped out of his reverie with his usual smile and overconfidence.

"So Shikamaru's plan is unfolding as we speak huh? Good he knew who to send to the main show!" said Naruto making Tayuya get at ease and Hinata wonder if everything was alright.

"You'll never enter the city through conventional means, that pirate running this mess is a psyco but knows what he's doing" said the man as a commando kept watch over him and his daughter.

"Why tell us if you are from this planet?" scoffed Tayuya trying to dismiss the man's attempts to lower their spirits.

"Because old retired farmers like me never wanted this! You think everyone in the Soundya systems wanted full blown military intervention from the Federation or the Uchiha? Only the newcomers, the mercs and the young thought they could pull this off" replied the man with honest indignation.

"What are you talking about man?" asked Naruto as got interested in the situation.

"For being elite you are being kept out of the loop huh? Soundya was the last group of systems colonized by the Federation about some five hundred years ago; planets ripe for terraforming and plenty of them as well, with no sign of previous occupation or local sentient life" said the man while seating down.

"That meant great opportunities for those longing for a second chance at a good life, so you expected that a lot of folk joined up for the colonization projects, right? But such opportunities also attract the wrong crowds and given the long distance Soundya is from the Federation's core it made these worlds also perfect for pirates, mercenaries, smugglers and all those charming individuals who has been advocating for independence for many years, especially since the Uchiha revolted and created a completely separated state from the Federation" continued the man.

"But the dream didn't last for our proximity to the Uchiha made us target of their conquering armadas and their less than kind ruling methods which basically consists in slaving local population for resource extraction" continued the man.

"Then why live in such a troublesome place?" asked Tayuya with conflicted emotions over the Uchiha and living arrangements.

"Because several years ago I came as part of the Federation's relief effort to the Soundya Systems to liberate them at last from Uchiha dominance and after Admiral Namikaze's brilliant victory over the Uchiha, the Federation moved in here en force and began the works to establish a strong presence and promises of major autonomy were given to the locals" said the man remembering his days as part of that hopeful army.

"I was a soldier at the end of my career, just a sergeant despite being for so long in the army. I met my wife here and helped her establish this farm. Lot of soldiers married the locals and helped rebuild this world and many others into respectable places. But it wasn't meant to last, when Admiral Namikaze disappeared and no clear command of armies was taken at the time, bureaucrats stalled the expensive process of reconstruction and with fleets being shifted, corruption found its way back into Soundya and old sentiments of independence were rekindled by mercenaries, smugglers, pirates and unscrupulous businessmen who saw a chance to be rulers with plenty of resources" said the man with anger in his voice.

"And how did you suddenly decided you could fight the Federation or the Uchiha?" asked Naruto taking an interest in the story much to the others surprise.

"Don't include me with those idiots! They are going to get everything we have worked so hard to build grinded into the ground! They are bullies with guns who took and encouraged the young into this idiocy of trying to pit the Uchiha and the Federation into one another not realizing how bad things can go! And now they think they can be enough trouble so that no one would dare to bring order here!" said the man with some despair as he saw the raging storm on the outside and knew that large vessels were travelling at low altitude ready to unleash destruction upon the world he learned to love so much.

"The Federation of old may have granted us freedom, but the Federation of today is much less forgiving and will crush us if they have to! Heavens forbid they send Hercian Shock troopers into the city, those kids aren't ready to face such a horrifying dead!" finished the man.

Hinata remembered Sakura at this moment for she was a member of the Hercian people, and shuddered at the thought of facing an army of such fearful enemies who could easily rip them apart with their own arms.

"The Federation wouldn't do such a thing, we would only take out the rebels and restore order!" protested Naruto with a slight hint of doubt in his voice.

The man eyed Naruto carefully before replying with a scornful smile "Amazing a Justicar is saying this to me, you who skulk in shadows and ensure that the Federation doesn't tear itself apart through any means necessary! I know your kind, I was part of your plots before in other places and your handiwork is written all over the Galaxy"

"We don't do that! We do what we have to and …" started to say Naruto when the man roared in laughter.

"Spare me please! You lot have killed politicians, generals, businessmen, criminals and even celebrities whenever they began to be a problem for the Federation's cohesion! Every time someone expresses an intent to breakaway or change the current state of things with our partial democracy, you guys go in and silence them! Your golden swords are there to remind everyone that the Galaxy's innocence is lost and that in the name of survival you won't hesitate! When I was a soldier, my regiment got pulled off by an emergency overruling decree dictated by a Justicar! We were excited to fight by their side but I knew something was awry when we were requested to conceal our badges of service and any other identification marks. Then we dropped in the middle of the night in some large building full of ornamentations and works of art, we were told to consider everyone there hostile and shoot to kill without taking prisoners. The operation went smoothly and finally stormed the target which was a large office next to a bedroom, imagine my surprise when I didn't found a fat crime lord with a couple of armed thugs, but a middle aged man with his entire family cowering behind the desk" said the soldier with now teary eyes.

"Me and my squad began to ask for confirmations over the radio but it was shut down with static and the moment I was about to calm down the man and his family a Justicar clad in black and gold entered the room and shot the man straight between the eyes in front of everyone and without a care in the world! I aimed my gun at the Justicar but one of his followers appeared from nowhere and disarmed me in a heartbeat and then knocked me out! I woke up the next day already back in my uniform and with my military unit on a spaceship bound for the next tour of service. No one spoke to me about what happened and I was implied that no one would dare to so I realized that we had done something wrong but supposedly necessary" said the man with resignation.

"If the Federation's going to survive with knifes in the dark then it doesn't deserve to continue existing. But then again, it's not like I am going to change anything anyway, so at least I'll try to make things less bloody" said the man while no longer staring down Naruto who had recoiled from the man once more with doubt in his eyes.

The man went to the underground shelter of his barn and pulled out several plastic tubes which he opened spreading large schematics which seemed very old.

"One of the reasons my farm has been very successful was because my wife, heavens rest her, was a very clever girl. She told me that we could find an exclusive vein of water that no other farm would be able to use and it guaranteed water supply even on the hottest years!" said the man looking for the right paper.

"Back when colonization was the main drive of economic growth and scientific achievements in the Federation, new colonies where built with a standard pattern that ensured order in the construction of the earliest settlements and allowed authorities and off world workers to move around every colony without trouble and also ensured the most advantages in terms of development. Therefore the colonies were built with extremely simple designs and solid infrastructure designs like extremely wide systems of water, sewers and underground energy ducts" said the man finally finding the blueprints which were signed by the author.

"But even though the colonies were originally designed to grow in certain patterns, locals would always do as they wanted making developments disorderly and more often than not, without taking advantage of the existing resources. The capital city was meant originally to expand in all four directions to ensure cardinality and geometrical thinking when planning future roads and transport access. But the city went on towards the valley where they have constant flooding and the ground is too soft for large buildings leaving the west open for farms and cattle ranches" continued the man as he asked a commando for his lamp.

"My wife saw the plans in an abandoned civil works building and began digging on our backyard until she came across with the large and still functional water and sewage systems of the original colony, thus allowing us to become successful farmers" said the man showing the designs to everyone who gathered.

"The important things is, that this line goes straight and unhindered towards the capital right under the main government building which used to be the operations center of the original colony" said the man.

"And where the rebels are directing everything…" said Hinata with wonder.

"Nice going old man! Now those rebels won't know what hit them!" said Tayuya with glee at the chance to get back at the Arctarian assassin.

"Thanks sir, this will be very…" began to say Naruto but the man held a hand to his face.

"Don't, I do this to spare all of the youths fooled by those idiots into a fight. I know what will happen in there and it sickens me to know I am being instrumental in it! So keep it to yourself and be gone from this world as soon as you are done with them…" said the man going for his daughter and leaving for his house.

Naruto was shut down right there and then and with a sigh went about the commandos to begin the infiltration stage of their operation.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Naruto had instructed the Commandos to approach the city and carry one reconnaissance duties for the impending invasion of the city and prepare sabotage operations to cut energy or communications to the Rebels at the capital.

Naruto had been clear on trying to minimize casualties in the measure of possibility but agreed that if there was no other choice then they could take their foes lives.

Naruto had also convinced Tayuya to stay behind at the farm to both protect the farmer and his daughter and if needed take off on the Daring Fox and provide close air support with the ship's deadly automated weapons courtesy of Ten Ten's brilliance.

Tayuya had thrown a fit over this but understood that less was more in a infiltration mission and she was more powerful behind the controls of a gunship. Also she understood Naruto's guilt over the farmer and wanted to make sure he was safe.

"I never asked his name…" muttered Naruto as he and Hinata advanced as quickly as possible through the vast water lines beneath the ground towards the core of the city.

"Whose name?" asked Hinata once more impressed that Naruto didn't needed the night vision goggles she was wearing at the moment to see in the dark.

"The farmer, I only heard him call his daughter but he never mentioned what was his name. Not that he was willing to tell it anyway but still…" said Naruto clearly down over the realization of the Justicar's more covert activities.

Hinata guessed that since Naruto is a more forward character and not a more subtle operative, Jiraiya would never assign him missions of espionage, especially against uncomfortable people within the hierarchy of the Federation that could question or challenge the current system.

In common sense light, what the Federation was nowadays was by no means fair or completely just. Civilians had democracy but the Technocracy and the military weren't subjugated to the will of the masses but to that of their own members and objectives which at times imposed on the civilian populations creating frictions and deeply rooted offenses people weren't quick to forget and much less forgive.

This in turn probably forced the hand of the Justicars to remove the more vocal, audacious and potentially dangerous voices of dissent within the Federation. And we good reason she had come to reason, after all the Uchiha used the previous democratic system and general good will of the people to make their gamble for taking over the Federation and further support their own autocracy. Heaven's know who else might attempt a similar move and so a partial democracy with single minded institutions could keep such characters from taking over.

Hinata didn't liked the fact of being used to those purposes but the chance of galactic wide conflict made it necessary to have a golden sword punch through the darkness and eventually be engulfed like with Justicar Orochimaru.

Now she walked in the dark of the tunnel following Naruto as he strode with certain long steps towards the goal of their mission.

"Shouldn't be long now…" said Naruto making Hinata break from her reverie and check her locator and the maps on her wrist mounted pad.

"According to this we are currently entering the city limits; the current planetary maps state that the Main Government building stands at the top of a hill overseeing the entire settlement expanding eastwards into the valley" replied Hinata acknowledging the proximity of the building just a couple hundreds of meters away.

"Let's drop into the water and move towards the basement of the building. With any luck the water would mask us from any sentries or sensors until too late to do something" said Naruto with more certainty this time.

"Alright" said Hinata getting into the water avoiding to make splashing sounds and lowering to the point where only her nose stood above the water line.

Both proceeded to move through the water until they reached the central system which was clearly ancient but still running unhindered and to their luck was apparently empty. Apparently the rebels thought that with the city under their control nothing would lurk beneath them, especially when all threats would come directly from above.

Both got off from the water and began looking for ways into the building above and here it was where they found the first obstacle for in the generations since the first settlement, posterior occupants contented themselves with extending pipes into the system and extending it eastwards leaving no means of access into the government building.

"You have the schematics of the old building?" asked Naruto.

"Yeah, I'll look for old entryways to the building" replied Hinata understanding what Naruto meant; Old parts of the building may still be accessible and thus it would only take to make small holes to see into the current installations.

Moving using the schematics on Hinata's wrist band they went from one access door to the next as most were blocked, wall and downright ruined with debris.

At last they came to a wall which according to the schematics had an access corridor that went straight into the basement of the building.

"This doesn't add up, there should be a door right here and a long access corridor behind" said Hinata quite puzzled.

Naruto went to the wall and knocked it to see if the noise let them know if it was a flimsy one that could be brought down, but the sound seemed solid making Naruto hesitant about trying to punch a hole through it and in the process make a racket that could attract the rebels attention to them.

Hinata not knowing what to removed her goggles and focusing she allowed the now familiar pain course through the frontal part of the face as her veins bulged with blood.

She slowly opened her eyes and as expected the world was grey and black but with no shadows, in way it was calming to see nothing clouded before one, but the lack of color made it somewhat scary as well.

Turning her gaze to the wall she concentrated one more and her gaze began to penetrate it and advance at her will into the building. The wall was indeed thick with three layers of bricks, but after them the corridor went on almost fifty meters to another wall which in turn connected directly into the basement of the government building.

In the basement there were several people tied up and seating with three armed men running laps around them in patrol. Moving past them she went up through the stairs and saw that the main floor of the basement was flooded with people in frantic activity as they were probably preparing to face the invasion.

Once more moving upwards she registered in her mind the number of targets and their disposition around the complex and also recorded the number of highly advanced equipment they were procured with "The Federation is going to have it tough taking this place" she muttered without knowing.

Finally reaching all the way into the main office at the top floor, Hinata saw two figures in conversation. One was the Arctarian assassin and the other was a grim looking man whose mouth was covered in bandages and his eyes had a cold edge to them that spoke of countless blood lettings.

Hinata considered them both the heads of the rebellion on this place and very likely the overall commanders as every other rebel effort was coordinated from here.

Just as she was to return something else caught her attention, moving unhindered again she noticed the large object standing behind the cold eyed man. And it called her attention since it emitted a low blue glow indicating her presence of energy within, but the other aspect that draw her attention were the inscriptions on the side of the thing which now turned to be a blade, the size of which she hadn't seen ever before.

The inscriptions were unreadable to her and not because they were faint or worn, but because the language nanites in her didn't knew the language and only once has she seen such scripture before; on the screen of the ancient machine in the Yaru home world, Feranian scripture.

**Some minutes later…**

Naruto and Hinata had managed to claw their way into the wall by using Naruto's gauntlet to strike in precise points indicated by Hinata's strange viewing abilities, which allowed them to go through without making much noise.

The corridor was dusty indicating them both that it hasn't been used in a very long time, centuries perhaps, and it lead them to a thinner wall which was easier to bring down and lead them close to the basement where prisoners were held.

Once they reached the Basement wall, Naruto had Hinata use once more her viewing powers to determine the guards' locations allowing them the element of surprise and precise striking hopefully preventing the rest of the building from knowing of their infiltration, otherwise they would have to rely on the prisoners to acquire intelligence for the invasion plans.

"Naruto, should we do this?" asked Hinata stepping back from the wall.

"What do you mean? We need to get the people out of here and see if we can do something to stop the rebellion" said Naruto wondering about Hinata's sudden doubt.

"With my viewing abilities I already have a good lookout of the building and I am certain that with a precise strike we can decapitate the rebellion. An orbital strike with precision cannons should be able to pull it off or a close range fighter bombardment could cut the Rebellion's leadership and help the invasion troops in taking over the city" argued Hinata thinking that that was the most efficient way of bringing down the rebellion and avoid Naruto from facing that dreadful Feranian blade.

"But we are already here! And a bombardment would kill all those prisoners!" countered Naruto not seeing the logic in Hinata's words.

"Yes but our mission was to get intelligence and confirm the leadership of the rebellion was present at the site. I already checked that the Arctarian assassin is here on the top floor and another man who seems to be the leader of the Rebellion. The fleet can strike them without warning and end this faster" said Hinata making Naruto frown at her with disapproval.

"I don't do things that way… those people in there aren't expected to get saved and they are probably the loyal elements of the local population's government. If we bring down the building down on them, then we prove the farmer right. That the Federation is a big oppressive regime no different than the Uchiha, if only even more dishonest about its methods and goals! Other Justicars may agree with you but if we want lasting peace in Soundya we must show them through example and sacrifice that the Federation is the right way to go and that they can believe in it! Otherwise this rebellion will start again in a couple of centuries with even more bitter foes" replied Hinata stunning Hinata.

"If you want to go then do so, at least give me the position of the guards in the basement so I can get the people out. I'll manage the rest on my own" said Naruto taking deep breaths as if preparing himself for increase the physical response of his body.

Hinata was too stunned to speak; Naruto was choosing the higher road to not only end the rebellion but also to inspire the people of Soundya to see that the Federation still had some good in it and make them loyal. This in turn seemed to be what got people to believe in Naruto despite his many missteps in the past and still keep up with him for he dared to step up whenever others would stand back.

"Yes, I see your point Naruto. I am sorry, let's do this; the guards are about to walk in front of us, they just finished checking in so we have a couple of minutes before they check in again" replied Hinata still concerned for the sight of that monstrous blade and the ominous inscription on it.

"Good, step back, I'll smash the wall and if lucky get the two guards. Just in case use your eye thing to take them down if I can't see them" said Naruto still a bit angry with her.

Hinata wanted to say something but Naruto's gauntlet glowed an intense blue and then it was propelled against the wall turning to dust the point of impact and blowing outwards the rest of the wall with little effort.

Hinata immediately jumped through the wall and managed to see the two guards who were obviously surprised but in the process of lifting their weapons at the hole. So she lowered her body and went for two quick strikes at the base of their necks effectively rendering them unconscious.

Naruto jumped through and when he saw the two guards down, he just nodded to Hinata and went to tend for the prisoners who were thankfully gagged and thus couldn't make any noise that alerted the rest of the personnel upstairs.

Naruto told Hinata to speak with the prisoners and set them free explaining to them the road to the farm and the clearance code for Tayuya to let them in without blowing them up in the process. While he went to grab the comm devices of the guards and began listening.

Hinata went to the most elderly of the prisoners and while putting her most reassuring smile she requested the man to remain calm and quiet "Sir, I am with the Federation and we are here to free you and put the situation under control. Now I am going to remove the gag, I need you to stay quiet and let know the other prisoners that everything is fine and we have secured an evacuation route for you to escape"

The man blinked obviously surprised but nodded nonetheless and awaited until Hinata unbound him and nodding in thanks the man coughed while taking a long breath before addressing Hinata.

"Thank you young lady, me and my colleagues thank you for the rescue but do please tell, is the Federation going to invade the city?" asked the man with frailty and fear etched on his face.

Hinata was taken aback slightly and just said "Just concern yourself with escaping, it's a long way to a safe place"

Nodding in defeated acceptance the man said "Very well young lady, but I would advise you as well since we are in your debt. The man leading this foolhardy rebellion isn't normal, he's dangerous to a level I have never seen in my long sad life, you would be wise to avoid fighting him at all"

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto crouching next to the man with a serious expression.

"That man calls himself Sabuza but he's like nothing I have ever seen! That man is closer to a demon than anything or anyone I have ever met! He's a ruthless tactician and a monstrous warrior who took over the rebellion at its infancy and turned into a real movement from a bunch of disgruntled thugs! But the worst is that he isn't even from Soundya!" said the man with building emotion.

"And now this madness befalls my world! But when we asked him to negotiate he just cutted us into pieces and those who survived were placed here to await our public executions, supposedly when the rebellion triumphed! Madness!" continued the man with tears falling from his eyes and the other prisoners also bit their lips in frustration.

"Just exactly, how does he plan to achieve his goal? Right now there are warships in low orbit ready to attack and his space elements have all been subdued" asked Naruto curious about the leader's seemingly suicide strategy.

"I am not exactly certain of how he plans to do this. But he's capable of anything at this point and it's almost as if he counted with the Federation coming here!" said the man with despair in his voice.

"Alright, thanks for the info. Now get to the hole and you'll reach a water line underground that leads to a farm several miles away. There's another operative there and so she doesn't kill you all you have to scream Horned girls are my thing!" said Naruto with a bit of smug look since no one would ever guess that password.

The man nodded somewhat confused with Naruto and as he lead his people to the hole in the wall he turned around and warned Naruto and Hinata "I don't know what you hope to achieve here but one thing I can say with certainty. Do not confront that man, he can't be defeated; that blade he carries cuts through anything and it even makes bullets go away from him! I don't know where he got that thing but it makes him invincible!"

This made Naruto laugh lightly as he didn't knew such thing as invincible besides his mother but Hinata got even more apprehensive hearing those words. Just by watching Naruto's gauntlet she was aware of the power behind Feranian weapons and to see the size of that blade and hear of its prowess made her wonder if Sabuza was a Feranian as well.

Once the prisoners were gone Hinata had gotten to work on devising a way to properly infiltrate the building and perhaps find a way to disable the defenses of the city and make it a swift conquest to avoid heavy fighting.

Along her research she found that Sabuza was beginning to mobilize his forces to the outskirts of the city and the heavier units completely out of the city and towards concealed locations within the surrounding fields and forests of Soundya which in turn didn't made any sense since a city fight would be much more laborious for any invading force.

"There's something wrong here Naruto, the rebels are abandoning the city en masse through several roads and passages into nearby forests and mountains. But they are spread too thin to make any opposition for the Federation's invasion" said Hinata.

"You heard the man, the leader is a psychopath so his plans probably don't have much of a sense in any case. Trouble yourself with finding a way to the top level so we can behead the rebellion in a clean swoop and prevent meaningless fights" said Naruto having finished putting people through the hole.

"Shouldn't we relay this to Shikamaru? Maybe he will see something we can't" said Hinata with a bad feeling about all this.

Naruto growled and began "This isn't the time to waver, whatever that guy is planning must be going down right now! This is our best chance to stop him and save people on the city! Shikamaru would act too late for anyone's good!"

Hinata saw some reason in Naruto's words but still something was amiss and she wanted to bide their time and warn the Federation above. But on the other side Naruto was right, the risk was high but the reward was also great, stopping the rebels at this point would stun the others and crush the rebellion with few casualties.

"Come on!" almost screamed Naruto as he went to see the schematics in Hinata's arm band.

Giving up and deciding to support Naruto, Hinata began reviewing the complex schematics and found and old elevator shaft that reached the top floor and apparently was used as a cargo elevator back when the main office was also the control tower for the original space port.

"Great, they will never see us coming!" said Naruto as he began to prove the walls trying to find the shaft.

"Please let us be alright…" whispered Hinata in small prayer to whatever god watched over all.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"Nearly all divisions have left the city my Lord; recon says the fleet remains on lower orbit but hasn't made any move so far since taking out our fleet elements" said the Arctarian assassin to the grey skinned man sitting on a blood red couch overlooking the city currently engulfed in storm provoked by the ships grazing the atmosphere.

"Is the transport ready?" hissed the man with a smirk on his half covered face.

"Yes, ready to take us westwards and rendezvous with the others" replied the assassin with a neutral tone.

"The packages?" said more than asking the man as his hand caressed the hilt of the monstrously large blade.

"In position as per your orders; final calculations have been made for full deployment" said the assassin.

Sighing in satisfaction Sabuza rose from his couch and wielding the blade over his shoulder he said "Haku, how long has it been since I found you?"

"Twenty years just last week my lord" replied Haku following his master with his eyes.

"For our standards that seems as a little time but back in the old age that was almost a lifetime. And do you remember what I told you back then?" said the man placing the blade tip first on the ground making a heavy noise.

"We would seek out a world for ourselves and give birth to a new kingdom" replied Haku neutrally once more.

"A kingdom in this day and age, unbelievable isn't it? Yet it's going to happen within a few months from today" continued Sabuza looking from one point to the next of the city where his packages would soon awaken.

"It's as you say my lord. The galaxy needs to die and rebirth over nd over to avoid stagnation" said Haku this time with more emotion to his voice.

"Yes, death and rebirth. Nations rising to compete with one another and improve constantly! The Federation has grown stagnant and duplicitous while the Uchiha content themselves with picking at whatever the Federation lets go and boast about it for decades! A third power is to rise and give them a run for their money!" said Sabuza with content seeing decades and even centuries into the future and all of it would stem from what was to happen in a few moments.

Right as Sabuza turned to begin walking towards the elevator and abandon the city himself, the wall where the picture of the previous governor stood scratched and disarranged exploded and from within the dust a golden flash encased in a deep blue armor propelled towards Sabuza with a glowing fist.

Sabuza's eyes widened slightly but with impossible speed he brought the blade to the front where the flat blocked the strike unleashing a powerful thunderclap noise that broke the windows. Still the momentum was strong and Naruto and Sabuza fell through the window and down to the courtyard.

"My Lord!" managed to say Haku before a palm strike almost caught him off-guard which made him adopt a combat stand and face his opponent who was woman encased in armor of the same color as the previous assailant.

Breathing easy knowing that Sabuza could survive much worse than a four floor fall, Haku got ready to fight his foe which to his surprise didn't carried any meaningful identification marks.

"Justicars?" said Haku assessing his rival.

"Please surrender and put a stop to this senseless rebellion! You don't stand a chance, the fleet is reading for invasion and your forces will be crushed. If you care about Soundya you'll order the rebels to stand down!" said Hinata with conviction hoping that the sudden instruction might deter them from executing their plans whichever they were.

Haku didn't adopt any significant facial expression and instead with terrible slowness pulled his mask from his belt while recognizing the girl in front of him.

"I would ask you how did you managed to reach this place and in such manner but I guess Justicars haven't earned their reputation for nothing. I won't ask you to surrender but I do ask you to leave this place with your colleague outside while you can" said Haku making the air in the room lower its temperature.

Being prepared this time Hinata spiked her armor heat output to help her prevent the nasty effects of the Arctarian psionic abilities.

Hinata was about to ask the assassin what he meant by asking them to leave so courtly but as soon as she opened her mouth the Arctarian flashed towards her at neck breaking speed making her react by spinning and trying to deliver a palm strike to the man's back but it resulted useless given the speed of the Arctarian.

"You have prepared well Justicar; I'll honor your efforts with a clean death" said Haku know creating thin needles of ice that flew across the room towards Hinata's neck.

Hinata could barely see the needles as their transparent constitutions made the light play tricks on her eyes. So the best she could do was to once more spin on instinct and use her arms to block the attack effectively breaking the needles.

But apparently the attack was feint for Haku had already began to move and with an Ice cleaver encasing his right hand he went for the killing strike with murderous intent.

Hinata managed to see the attack in slow motion and calling on her survival instinct she kept spinning hoping her arms would somehow deflect or stop the attack.

The next moment she opened her eyes Haku was knocked back while his face mask flew broken in two towards a wall. Hinata blinked surprised but almost screamed when she noticed that the whole world was once more gray and shadow less and that her hands were shining a bright blue.

As Haku stumbled back to his feet with blood dripping from his mouth Hinata almost attempted to put out the glow from her hands when she remembered her bout with Sakura.

Back then Sakura had green glowing energy surging throughout her entire body and it focused heavily on her hands and feet. And realized that this were part of her own psionic skills so she had to use them while it lasted.

Haku grunted with concern in his eyes and losing his cool he began to move quickly throughout the room trying to pry an open spot in Hinata's defense.

Hinata took advantage of her sight which managed to keep Haku in sight despite the blinding speed though she didn't expected her body to be fast enough to react in case of an attack from a different angle.

At this point an almost forgotten memory surfaced and Hinata took a moment to remember her cousin Neji.

Back in Augya before her prayers had been answered, Hinata used to attend the military trainings of the males in the family and chief among them was Neji who excelled in hand to hand combat.

Neji was a very talented fighter and had perfected many of the family's many martial art techniques and the apex of his skill came when he surprised everyone by performing the rotating defense technique which very few had ever learned properly.

It consisted on spinning on his center while moving his arms up and down in strong defensive sweeps which in turn managed to deflect most attacks and at the same time trap the enemy making it a perfect defense skill which in turn also allowed a devastating counterattack.

Back then Neji was good at it but still long range weapons managed to pierce the defense, but Hinata realized that the technique required high speeds to be truly invincible.

So by imitation and silently thanking her less than charming cousin, Hinata adopted the stance and began her own version of the spinning defense. Only that she attempted to spin as fast as Haku was moving while sweeping her hands in several directions seeing that the energy of her hands created an afterglow that covered the gaps.

Haku was surprised for the girl didn't displayed this strange skill back at the space fortress, then again she wasn't wearing armor nor was expecting to be faced with a deadmatch back at the day. But what worried him truly was the fate of his master.

Sabuza would not die from such a fall but he deducted that the thing that attacked him was the golden haired man who almost got him at the fortress and the fact that his weapon actually met the Executioner's Blade in a contest of arms and did not exploded in the process indicated him that he had a chance to survive.

Returning to his battle Haku noticed that the girl's defense was becoming even more complex and complete, soon it would become perfect if such a thing was possible anyway. He proved the defense and to his disappointment it proved to be what he feared for his needles pulverized the moment they touched the glowing dome.

Haku didn't gave up and moving at high speed trying to equal Hinata's newfound speed began to attack her relentlessly with his needles but once more they all became ice dust before the dome.

As Haku grew impatient he noticed a small flaw in the dome; a small whole kept spinning with the rest of the dome and he managed to see that it pointed straight to the back of the girl's head, right at the base of the skull, a perfect killing spot and one he could easily aim at.

Haku kept up his attack to keep the girl confident in her defense while he slowly devised the moment the opening would present to him and in that moment he would use a reinforced metallic needle full of neurotoxins only meant for the most dangerous opponents.

Haku threw his needle with as much precision as he could muster but a seemingly twist of fate had the girl trip breaking the defense and making the girl move awkwardly making the needle go far from its target.

Haku was obviously surprised but Hinata took the moment to spin on her feet moving quickly towards Haku and delivering a powerful two handed palm strike squarely in his chest making him crash painfully against one of the remaining metallic walls of the building.

Hinata smirked with some satisfaction knowing that victory was hers before feeling horribly sick and bending over to try and hold in her lunch.

**Courtyard…**

Falling to the ground with two loud bangs Naruto and Sabuza slowly rose to their feet unfazed by the otherwise deadly drop.

"He he, not bad kid, not bad; got to hand it to you, it's been a while since someone actually made me give ground" said Sabuza swinging his blade to rest on his shoulder.

"For an old man you aren't half bad either! Been a while since someone actually stood one of my blows!" replied Naruto flexing his gauntleted hand.

"That's an interesting thing you have there, boy, mind telling me where you got it? Asked Sabuza, appraising the gauntlet which emitted a similar glow to his blade.

Naruto wondered about his gauntlet and then his eyes focused on Sabuza's blade and he immediately recognized it.

Growling and flashing his bright teeth Naruto said with barely constrained fury "Where the hell did you got that blade?"

Sabuza was taken slightly aback by the sudden rage in the man before him and swinging his blade in front of him he replied cautiously "Beats me, just found this thing in a derelict some years ago and it fitted me just right!"

Naruto howled and making his gauntlet crack with energy leapt at Sabuza at great speed, but his opponent swung the blade and in a reverse blow managed to hit Naruto with the flat end of the blade and with its energy deliver a powerful strike to the blonde Justicar.

Naruto was sprawled after the impact and Sabuza swung his blade again to jump using its weight to impulse himself and make a wide arc towards Naruto's body.

But Naruto moved in the nick of time allowing the blade to strike the ground and rise to deliver a punch with his gauntlet, only to be received by a kick to his sternum from Sabuza once more sending him away.

"You are tough kid, I give you that, but you lack true experience. How many opponents you think I have bested while using this blade?" said Sabuza swinging the blade back to his shoulder while Naruto got up.

"That doesn't belong to you…"growled Naruto while keeping his eyes concealed under his disheveled hair.

"Quite the contrary, this blade belongs to the strong and I got beaten around by it until I mustered the strength to wield it. I earned it!" replied back Sabuza while once more lunging for Naruto who this time dodged more easily and before Sabuza could deliver another kick or punch, he struck the ground with his gauntlet at full power making the floor explode in debris effectively catching Sabuza by surprise.

Naruto then came out of the dust cloud baring his fangs like a beast and head-butted Sabuza across the bridge of his nose making him stagger but keeping a firm grip on the blade.

Naruto attempted to reach the blade's grip with his gauntleted hand but Sabuza moved the grip slightly making him miss and the shoulder bashing Naruto sending him sprawling again.

"You fight like an animal boy, very much like me I would say. Would you mind telling me from which forsaken corner of the galaxy the Federation brought you from? I would like to know so I can send your remains there out of respect" sneered Sabuza assessing Naruto again who got back up only that this time he was hunched back like a, animal about to spring over a prey.

"I wonder from which one you crawled out, never seen someone as ugly!" replied Naruto with a feral grin that made Sabuza laugh.

"You are enjoying this don't you? Looks like we go cut from the same fabric!" said Sabuza while he swung his blade with even more speed at Naruto who in turn managed to catch the blade by the grip battling with Sabuza for its control.

"You pack a muscle despite your looks old man!" said Naruto slowly beating back Sabuza.

"Bionics, quite handy in situations like this" replied Sabuza casually as the bandages of his mouth fell revealing shark like teeth that went for a piece of Naruto who had to let go of the blade to avoid the threshing maw of the warrior.

"What? Your mom did a poor job birthing an ugly baby so you had to finish the job?" said Naruto unable to remove the grin from his face.

"Been long since someone actually tried to bait me with petty words, kind of refreshing don't you think? Still this is quite intense, it's a shame we have to end it so soon" said Sabuza lifting the blade as it crackled alive with energy.

Naruto saw the blade begin to glow harder and harder with a pale blue energy and almost too late he realized what Sabuza was attempting to do.

Sabuza brought the sword down and then all the world turned white and flooded with one of the most terrifying thunders the galaxy has seen in eons.

**AN: Done!**

**Wow, haven't seen you all since last year right?**

**I'll begin this note with an immense apology for the delay but as I explained earlier some months ago, I am finding inspiration for this story to be difficult to get and when it does it passes a long time for it to return.**

**That's why I am currently considering putting this story up for adoption if anyone is interesting and thinks he can do a proper job please don't be shy and contact me so we can discuss the conditions for it.**

**On the meantime I'll try to write pieces of the story here and there but don't expect much in case of swift updates.**

**Read, Enjoy and Review!**


	19. The Blade

**Chapter 19: The Blade**

The thunder stroke the ground, light washed everything around and for a brief moment it roared louder than the raging storm around him.

Even with all the augmentations he had submitted himself to over the course of the years in order to prosecute his dreams, the thunder had always managed to blind his senses leaving him dangerously unprotected. But then again once he used it, the battle was pretty much done and any enemy standing around was in a worse situation than he was for their senses became destroyed.

Zabuza took a couple of steps back as he grinned with satisfaction for he was thankful that such an opponent could mark his rise to the great powers of the Galaxy. Him, an unseemly pirate with dreams of grandeur, becoming the lord of entire star systems and all thanks due to a single artifact found in a derelict object in an empty system.

Relaxing his grip on the blade Zabuza recalled that day when aboard his small gunship he had been hunted across an entire system by Federation security forces after he had failed to board and take over a soon to be decommissioned corvette of the Federation's fleet.

His gamble had failed when he realized that the Corvette's engines had been already taken apart for spare parts for other vessels of the System's local fleet. And so it gave time to the Federation to respond with force killing those pirates he had managed to lure into his gambit.

Zabuza had escaped on his gunship alone but with the intense firefight that had been unleashed after his failed attempt of capturing, it was damaged to the point where the hyper drive was disabled trapping him on that system.

He had turned to the star hoping the solar winds might cloak his vessel giving him a chance to make repairs and attempt a escape.

But his pursuers were fitted with brand new ships and to his bad luck turned to veterans of the last Uchiha incursion making them quite tenacious for his liking.

He had gotten close to the corona of the sun when he had glimpsed a shadow above the star's intense glare and directed his vessel towards it in an apparently suicide drop into the sun effectively shaking off his pursuers.

Zabuza had nearly crashed with the massive object but had managed to recover and hide the ship in a large empty area that eerily resembled a docking bay of sorts albeit it lacked the capacity to shut down its gates.

Thankfully the interior of the object was cool enough to keep the heat of the sun away and to his greater surprise most of the radiation letting know Zabuza that this place wasn't an unlucky asteroid but a sentient built "something"

Zabuza had then dedicated his efforts to repair his vessel and scavenge the object for something of value that could make his failure less stinging.

He had finished his repairs and was then solely dedicated to find something onboard the derelict object for from the few things he had managed to find he had deducted that the thing was old, seriously old and unlike anything he had seen or heard from. Not even the dreadnaughts had such ample passageways or so many decks, and by the damage this was just a part of a whole.

At last he reached a gate that easily towered above him several times his size indicating him that whatever was inside was valuable either for an intruder or a salvager. So he got busy opening long locked gates with whatever tools he could muster from his vessel.

After many hours of extenuating labor and almost every one of his tools broken against the thick metal the gates parted enough for him to squeeze in and gaze at something that had survived the passage of time thanks to the vacuum of space and the lack of disturbance.

He judged the place to be a bridge of sorts albeit its distribution was nothing similar to anything he had seen or read about in his life. The place almost looked like an audience hall with a great throne at its peak and a large metallic round table descending a flight of stairs that covered three decks of instruments.

Zabuza could only dream of a ship that needed such a large amount of personnel on its bridge to operate, the things he could do with a vessel like this!

But time had made certain that this monster would never move again for it was broken and its energy long depleted since.

Feeling content with the memories, Zabuza was about to leave when the light of the sun reflected on a polished surface he hadn't noticed before. The reflection came directly from the throne and so Zabuza rushed to it excited at the possibility of finding still intact in the ancient derelict.

Zabuza became awed when he stood before the throne for on it like an ancient god stood an empty armor suit which colors and marks had been long erased by the glares of the sun coming through the window every time it turned. The suit was cracking and beyond salvage but the blade it was grasping remained intact due to the low hum of a self-sustaining energy field.

Zabuza observed the impossibly large blade basking in the hidden power of the weapon and the terrible battles it must have come through victorious.

Realizing that he was trembling before the blade, Zabuza silently cursed at himself and went to quickly pry the weapon from the armor that broke into pieces as if finally relieved from its duty.

Zabuza lifted the weapon realizing that the low non existing gravity was all that helped him stand its great weight. As he moved the blade the energy field intensified as if rousing from a very long sleep.

"Been a long time isn't it?" Zabuza remembered saying to the blade as it had begun to fuel him with dreams that only belong to the great, scratch that, the fated who would make the stars part for him.

Having turned to the infuriatingly sturdy gate, Zabuza had wielded the blade with hate and ambition unleashing a thunder unnamed foes had feared once so very long ago.

Breaking from his reverie, Zabuza's senses had returned to him as the sound of the rain drummed constantly reminding him where he was at the moment and what had just transpired instants ago.

Zabuza saw the ground before him had turned to crackled glass around the zone of impact which was still engulfed in bluish smoke.

"That was a worthy foe and a great victory for us old friend; just a bit more and we will forge a grand dream for the strong" said Zabuza just above the noise of the rain lowering the blade to rest.

"I don't know if I should be angry or impressed with you lowly pirate…" a voice growled making Zabuza lift the blade once more into a combat stance wondering if another Justicar had found its way to the battle.

Zabuza turned his sight to the smoke and from it a tall male figure stepped forward with pieces of armor dropping from his body revealing the blackened skin beneath it.

Naruto stopped with his hair free failing wildly with a rising gust of wind coming from behind him as he slowly rose his Gauntlet which was shining with the same intensity as a star.

"H-How'" breathed Zabuza not noticing his grip on the blade loosening.

"I told you that that blade didn't belong to you…" growled Naruto again baring his teeth and fangs at Zabuza.

Zabuza not certain of what to do, gripped his blade again and swung it with all his might at Naruto with a scream that was part his own fury and partly fear.

But as the blade went for Naruto's torso, Naruto flowed like water and rising his gauntlet he slammed it against the blade's flat side smashing it still intact against the ground and away from Zabuza's grip.

Away from the grip of the blade Zabuza stumbled back not certain of what he could do now that he was unarmed and obviously at a disadvantage with his foe who at the moment seemed to be invincible.

Seeing the display of power that matched his blade Zabuza realized that the Justicar before him was not just that, but someone who actually could wield the blade as if it was truly his.

Zabuza had become the blade's master only through great dedication, training and grueling surgeries that strengthened his skeleton, muscles and nerves. But the man before him matched the ferocity of the blade without any of those things.

Seeing his dreams shattering before him Zabuza lounged at Naruto baring his shark teeth aiming for his exposed neck seeking a swift kill, albeit an honor less one but victory before defeat demanded such actions from time to time.

But before his teeth sunk on flesh, they shut tight as a powerful strike made Zabuza's entire body tremble shattering bones, tissue and organs inside of him sending a brief but astounding wave of pain that immediately sent him into shock leaving him insensitive as his body dropped to the glassy ground with Naruto just above him with unforgiving eyes.

In a moment the rebellion was as good as over for Zabuza, his dreams of conquest and an endless dynasty turned to dust before the might of something he felt in his shattered gut was not entirely from the Federation.

"Y-You must be…the owner of that blade…"managed to say Zabuza as blood began to rise from his throat.

Breathing hard and powering down his gauntlet Naruto's demeanor calmed down to the point where his voice reacquired a gentler tone and began "Not to me, but someone I know…"

"Guess my destiny wasn't to carve my name in history but retrieve that thing for you…" gasped Sabuza with a shark's smile.

"I don't know about the fates, but the only thing you should concern yourself with, is if you are satisfied…" replied Naruto as he went for the blade which was now completely turned off giving off just the sheen of its edge as if mourning his wielder.

Zabuza closed his eyes trying to suck some air unsuccessfully and going through a small moment of clarity he opened them again sporting a new smile he hadn't displayed since he was a child.

"Guess for an orphan who later became an unlucky criminal and ended up the leader of a planetary rebellion, I didn't do so badly huh? Yes, I could say I am satisfied…Still I have a couple of loose ends to attend to" said Zabuza centering his sight on Naruto's.

Before Naruto could reply something Zabuza began with the light of his eyes burning away intensely as a dying star "Take care of Gato, he provided me with the stuff to pull this off including the cyclonic warheads I hid in the city…"

This made Naruto's eyes go wide but he kept silent as Zabuza still had one last thing to say "Haku, my boy, please grant him freedom; he may not be my true son, but he's the closest thing I ever got to one. I was never kind to him and only used him to fulfill my goals but he never complained nor fought me over it"

Turning to the tower where Haku was still inside, Zabuza continued "He was enslaved as a rare specimen of an Arctarian to be sold to gene writers but I took him under my wing to serve as a weapon and carry me further into my dream…But now that he's free I see that such a noble soul does not deserve the cells of an orbital jail, for despite all the horrible things I forced him to do he never became lost in it"

Rising his fist to the sky which seemed to weep for the loss of a strong willed man he finished "If you can grant a dying man's wish then let Haku be free and tell him to make his fate a kinder one…"

And with that Zabuza Momochi, former pirate and at last a leader of freedom seeking people, passed on at the feet of his slayer who bent grabbing the blade and placed it on his chest while using his gauntlet to roughly inscribe Zabuza's name among the countless others who had wield it.

The Federation may remember him as a criminal trouble maker, the people of Soundya as liberating hero or an opportunistic bastard and Naruto as the fiercest opponent he had yet to fight for he alone had managed to stir his Feranian blood like no other. But the one thing that was certain is that Zabuza Momochi would not go unremembered and in that he was victorious.

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Hinata had managed to get her bearings after what seemed like an eternity of her head spinning around and had secured the office and the Arctarian assassin who thankfully had remained unconscious after her desperate attack.

She had also removed the comm receiver from his ear and placed it on her own to try and pry some information from the rebels that could help her and the Federation. And what she heard through it made her wary for it seemed that something was behind schedule though she couldn't imagine what since the Federation hadn't started any major operations against them besides station the ships on low orbit.

While she had been dizzy she thought she had heard a lightning strike outside but she had dismissed it for one of the many unleashed by the storm raging outside. She had also tried to contact Naruto but she had been unable so far and the hole through the window was covered by mist from the worsening storm so she couldn't really locate Naruto outside.

Just as she was focusing to use once more her optical abilities the rebel comm came to life once more and in it was the hoarse voice of Naruto to her surprise.

"Attention Rebels of Soundya…Zabuza Momochi lies dead…in the name of your freedom, your homes, your friends and your families, I command you to surrender and cease all hostile activities right now…Your rebellion is over…." Naruto declared with a voice that was a mixture of barely restrained fury and exhaustion.

Hinata breathed out in relief but remained somewhat alarmed for Naruto sounded greatly distressed. But apparently he still had more to say so she kept quiet.

"I probably understand your frustration and your willingness to fight to the end in some sort of misguided martyrdom, but I tell you that this won't do at all. If you truly want to make of Soundya the promise of freedom and independence your forefathers once envisioned then you must live to see it happen and perhaps inherit it to your children…Make your stand in a way that truly matters and through means that can achieve more than weapons ever will" said Naruto.

"Take your claims to the Federation and don't quake, you'll see that a lot of good people over there will listen…" finished saying Naruto.

Immediately afterwards a multitude of voices exploded over the comm but Naruto ignored them as he went to activate his Justicar comm and began "Shikamaru, if you are listening send tactical teams into the capital. Bring explosives experts and detection equipment for the Rebels hid several cyclonic warheads in the city to make it look like the Federation bombed it. Don't worry the city was vacated by the Rebels so you shouldn't face much opposition"

Naruto didn't waited for Shikamaru to respond and turned it off as he raised his face to the storm and allowed the rain to water his face as he unleashed a long howl for his body was still recovering from the wounds inflicted by the Executioner pattern blade and its discharge of energy and to be honest, the pain was barely endurable and the recovering process of his body didn't made it any easier to cope with.

Naruto observed the still body of Zabuza and bit his tongue for it hadn't been his desire to kill him but the elation of the battle had overridden his restraint and allowed him to unleash his full force upon him. But the worst part for Naruto was that he had enjoyed it, and not in the traditional sense in which he enjoyed battles for most engagements he saw as with little risk confident in his own superiority.

But this time he had met his match and had truly felt in danger, making the elation a hundred times more intense to the point where for a second he had lost himself to the battle and had lost control of his will killing a man that could have survived.

Naruto felt ashamed for this was the bane of Ferania, the unbidden lust for battle and victory that burned their hearts from cradle to grave.

In a single true battle he had failed his species despite being half human himself.

He allowed the rain to wash his sorrow and then got up from the ground as he grabbed the blade from Zabuza's cooling fingers for though he wanted him to be buried with it. Feranian technology was highly sought after by the Federation and the Uchiha, and he wasn't willing to let either have it…

Just as he got back on his feet he saw the ships from the Federation abandoning orbit and dozens of landing craft making their way towards the city, among them he saw the distinguishing form of the Daring Fox in its black and gold majesty.

Hinata had dragged the barely conscious form of the Arctarian assassin as three vessels converged at the courtyard and landed surrounding the standing Naruto who stood immobile at the center holding the blade of the rebel leader and standing watch over its body.

From the Daring Fox sprang Tayuya with weapons raised as she quickly approached Naruto and from the other vessels stepped down Shikamaru followed by his friend Chouji and several commandos who secured the perimeter.

Tayuya was about to scream at Naruto for leaving her behind and going crazy but a glimpse of his burned and wounded body made her silent with worry and amazements for such wound would make lesser men buckle up and writhe in pain.

Hinata dragged the half conscious Haku to the fore and allowed a couple of commandos to relief her of that burden while she made her way to Naruto as Shikamaru walked up to him with no apparent emotion written in his face beyond annoyance.

"Care to explain?" was all that Shikamaru said without a threat but with clear annoyance etched in his otherwise neutral face.

"The Rebels planned to destroy the city and blame us for the incident, needed to act…" replied Naruto with faint growls lingering in his voice.

Shikamaru nodded accepting the answer noticing that Naruto was not in the best mood to be questioned.

"Rebel units are coming in clearings and signaling their disposition for negotiations to be conducted. So all in all you did good Naruto" said Shikamaru as he went to stand over Zabuza's body.

"Zabuza Momochi, known pirate with a long list of crimes, convictions, escapes and a less than likeable reputation. Quite amazed to see him fighting for an ideal instead of a profit" said Chouji bringing a slate with Zabuza's information on it.

"He wanted his own kingdom of sorts…Said a man named Gato was behind the weapons, supplies and the warheads hidden in the city" said Naruto still not directing his gaze to anyone.

"Mmm, Gato, the military industry tycoon? Guess it adds up given the high tech used by the rebels. Will need further evidence to bring him in but this many weapons should suffice to involve him in this" said Shikamaru returning to stand before Naruto.

"Be merciless…" growled Naruto feeling hatred for the unknown man.

"We'll be thorough Naruto…Say need any medical assistance?" said Shikamaru now fully appreciating the extent of Naruto's injuries and becoming amazed that he still stood.

"Don't worry, it'll heal in time…" replied Naruto closing his eyes.

"And the blade?" said Shikamaru looking at the towering slag of metal resting on Naruto's shoulders.

"I am keeping it…" said Naruto finally opening his eyes at last under control.

"I am afraid that won't be possible young Justicar…" chimed a metallic voice that made Naruto turn with a new growl in his voice.

Descending from a red craft two hovering panda like drones advanced in front of a slim girl dressed in a green jumpsuit that was tightly fitted to her body making Naruto's eyes go wide in obvious surprise.

"Ten Ten!" exclaimed Naruto almost betraying some joy until the voice of Magistrate Theron once more came through the speaker of one of Ten Ten's drones.

"Justicar Uzumaki, I wish I could meet up in person with you but running a whole Magistrate takes much of my time. So I asked my youngest rising star to meet up with you in this unseemly scenario to retrieve the warheads and that peculiar piece of technology you are holding…" said the Panda drone.

"This doesn't belong to you…" warned Naruto.

"This is all in the name of progress young Justicar…And it would be a wonderful way of repaying past mercies provided to you by my associates…" said Theron making Naruto bite his tongue with a very nasty insult.

Naruto didn't said anything and swinging the blade on top of his shoulders he pierced the ground with it making it crack under its great weight and having everyone around jump slightly for they didn't expected that.

"All yours…" growled Naruto as he went to Ten Ten leaving the drones to retrieve the blade.

Ten Ten was quick to bow slightly and try to compose a reply to the insult Magistrate Theron had just delivered to Naruto. But she was surprised when Naruto placed his hands on her face and his eyes focused on hers.

"What happened?" asked a now saddened Naruto.

Ten Ten blinked quite curious about Naruto's sudden change but quickly identified what he meant. For her eyes now had a small green glow shining in its depths indicating that they weren't eyes provided by birth but those provided by science.

Holding his hand Ten Ten said "Working at the Forges is a mighty chance, but one that comes with risks in order to achieve great things and so a small accident is bound to happen from time to time"

"I am sorry…" Naruto managed to say feeling that somehow it was his fault.

"Don't be, I am living my dream and I am more than willing to make the necessary sacrifices" replied Ten Ten smiling kindly at the warrior.

"But returning to more joyous things! I didn't come here just to take things! I came bearing gifts for you and your companions!" said Ten Ten trying to lighten the suddenly gloom atmosphere.

At this another drone descended from the ship and brought with it three large black cases making Naruto, Hinata and Tayuya got to the cases and awaited for Ten Ten to explain.

"Given the chance to thank you Naruto for getting me to the Forge, I dedicated my first efforts to you guys in the form of the following objects!" said Ten Ten.

"First for you pretty companion Hinata! A couple of needle guns and a sniper needle rifle! I know that Hinata's skills with guns is poor at best so I replicated this amazing needle gun technology from an Alien species of the Yordan veil which delivers powerful self-expanding needles from guns that have virtually no recoil! Perfect for someone with your ocular abilities!" said Ten Ten excitedly as Hinata smiled awkwardly at the strange weapons delivered to her.

"For your rowdy Thornian friend here, I developed this practical sound emitting armor which replicates the effects of the infamous Thornian flutes without risking her having to play it. And it comes with adjustable controls for you to control!" said Tent Ten giving Tayuya the strange gift.

"As for today's hero! A left Gauntlet to make a set with your Feranian one! This Gauntlet is not as powerful as your original but it'll be very handy I assure you! It contains a strong micro kinetic shield and it also comes with a small but powerful computer with several decrypting softwares and surveillance gadgets that will help you be a bit more subtle!" said Ten Ten handing Naruto over his new Gauntlet which had a tiny doodle of a grinning Ten Ten.

Thanking the gifts, Naruto and his friends were invited by Shikamaru to board the Federation's main Flagship in high orbit to see about the end of the Rebellion and the aftermath.

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Aboard the "Charging Stallion" Shikamaru oversaw the deployment of troops to Soundya to retrieve the weapons from the rebels and the liberation of Federation personnel from the improvised jails.

The rebels directly under command from Zabuza quickly admitted that their armed rebellion wouldn't succeed so they formed a committee of sorts and attempted negotiations that at first Magistrate Arremius strongly opposed saying that they were criminals as well with several charges.

But with the pressure from Tsunade, Jiraiya and amazingly Theron urging her to compromise in the name of peace and a more compliant Soundya, she ceded and agreed to send dignitaries to the systems and review their claims for further sovereignty and state sponsored investments.

This in turn would give a clean sheet to a lot of pirates, robbers, smugglers and less than desirable characters but in the name of peace and stability these were sins that have been overlooked for countless centuries.

"It seems your recklessness saved the day in the end…congratulations I guess" said Shikamaru not turning away from the multiple screens picturing information and status reports from the deployed troops on the surface currently being overseen by Chouji.

"Anytime, before I take my leave I have a question; what is to happen to Haku?" asked Naruto making Hinata and Tayuya wonder about who he meant.

"Haku?...Ah, you mean the Arctarian. He's suspect to several assassinations beyond the Soundya systems and since you captured he isn't included in the amnesty provided by the Magistrates" replied Shikamaru turning around finding that subject more interesting than coordinating the maneuvers on the ground.

Before he could ask more Naruto interrupted him with "I want to recruit him…At least have the chance to recruit him that is"

This made everyone on the bridge eyes go wide in surprise and Tayuya go into a fit of screaming and poking Naruto's head calling him names and doubting his sanity over inviting an assassin to their ship.

Shikamaru fixed his eyes to Naruto trying to discern a motive or a hesitation but finding none he sighed and whispered a usual "Troublesome" before actually speaking.

"It is within your rights as a Justicar but, to get an assassin into your squad? Recruiting a low worlder and a failed smuggler already raised several question to Jiraiya about your skills and aptitudes to serve. An assassin won't help you much on that regard and a slip up from you or them will give certain people the excuse they need to kick you out, and not just from the Justicars…" said Shikamaru carefully choosing his words.

"Who are you calling a failed! Mphf!" started to scream Tayuya as Hinata held a hand to her mouth and restrained her as Naruto and Shikamaru kept staring at each other.

"It was a dying man's wish to give him a chance. Service under my wing will redeem him and eventually free him. His skills will help people, not harm them" said Naruto.

"We aren't in the charity business Naruto…" said Shikamaru measuring Naruto's resolve about his decision.

"I know, now more than ever…" growled Naruto losing his patience.

This last remark made Shikamaru, Hinata and even Tayuya curious as to what made him say those words but seeing that Naruto was losing his temper decided to keep that doubt for another time and moment.

Sighing Shikamaru said "Very well, you can try to recruit him, but if he refuses I'll have him delivered to the Justice courts and once there not even you can pull him off without risking a lot yourself. We may be above the law, but there is a price to pay for it"

"Don't worry" said Naruto and left the bridge leaving his companions alone with Shikamaru who turned around to continue clearing the mess of Soundya.

**AN: Done again!**

**Hope you liked the chapter though I am not certain about the ending.**

**Anyway, next chapter will be Haku's recruitment and the beginning of the Hercian mini romantic arc where Naruto will finally take notice of Hinata and come to grips with his relationship with Sakura.**

**And for this, I ask to those loyally reading this story in your free time to provide ideas for I am genuinely lacking them on this matter and to be honest, I don't want to fall into the bashing some authors rely on to make a change of heart on Naruto.**

**I want it to be believable, somewhat realistic and in line with the rest of the story…**

**I know it's not an easy task but some ideas would be welcomed as to get the engine working.**

**Read, Enjoy and Review!**


	20. Pull of Gravity

**Chapter 20: Pull of Gravity**

Naruto didn't wait any longer as his patience in the last few days have been growing slim and the fight with Zabuza didn't made things any easier, especially when the Feranian blade was taken from him on a bargain made to help a friend.

What made him all the angrier was that the words of Vany and Kitara were being proven true time and time again. Everyone in the galaxy seemed to be after the ancient secrets of his people in order to acquire their power and make them…

Shaking his head violently Naruto let out a rather loud growl that made several crew members stand clear from the furious looking Justicar whose story of victory over the rebels spread fast on the fleet.

Reaching the holding brig, Naruto went straight to the officer in charge and demanded "The Arctarian…" in a low voice conveying that he would not suffer delaying tactics.

"Cell 040!" said the officer stepping back from Naruto who just thundered past him towards the cell.

Standing in front of it Naruto realized that he was breathing hard and the reflection on the smooth surface was that of a man boiling with anger…

Breathing in and out and going through several combat moves in his mind, his heartbeat diminished and at last some measure of peace and control returned to him.

Taking one last breath Naruto forced a smile once more on his face and opened the cell door to find that the inner atmosphere was terribly cold and mist began to form as the different temperatures clashed with one another.

Sitting in a meditative position was a half-naked creature of alabaster skin and long silky black hair, its body constitution should be that of a strong man but for some reason it was devoid of any trait that would tell it belonged to an assassin.

Turning his head slightly Haku noticed he had company and half closed his eyes in a fashion that made Naruto feel a bit uncomfortable for his every mannerism and looks depicted someone from the fairer gender.

Haku then crossed an arm over his chest and stood to face Naruto who in turn blushed involuntarily and immediately said "Don't do that!"

"What?" said Haku pulling a strand of hair backwards while keeping his arm crossed over his chest making the poor Justicar feel even more uncomfortable.

"Stop it!" said Naruto with his eyebrow twitching and his eyes looking towards a wall.

"If I did something to offend you then I apologize" said Haku in a smooth tone that shouldn't belong to a man.

Stealing glances at Haku, Naruto felt even more awkward for he shouldn't be feeling like this and so he decided to man up and so went to grab Haku by the shoulders and pushed him back saying "Man up dude! You shouldn't be behaving like this!"

Somewhat surprised Haku turned his face away from Naruto and whispered a soft "Sorry…" making Naruto let him go and grab his head letting out an exasperated scream.

"Don't be! Man, what's wrong with you? Put on a shirt!" said Naruto turning around to give Haku some privacy despite both were men.

Haku then put on a plain white shirt and said "Alright, I put on a shirt though I don't why all the fuss"

Naruto dared to turn around and managed to breathe easier seeing now a slim man with a curious look etched on his face.

"Man, he probably took down a lot of guys by confusing them horribly! I'll mourn for them…" thought Naruto as he pulled the chair from the desk and beckoned Haku to seat down on his bed.

"So the rebellion is over I imagine…" said Haku softly with a tone of sorrow well concealed.

"Yes, Zabuza lies death by my hand and the Rebels are already negotiating their way out of the courts and into the head positions of the next Soundya administration" said Naruto flatly.

"Of course…Are Zabuza's remains to be buried or burned?" asked Haku with some concern.

"He's to go through autopsy and then to a burner…Did he leave any desires for his remains?" asked Naruto still not showing anything like sympathy for the Arctarian.

"No, he said that once you bought the farm what was left behind was for the dogs…" replied Haku with a faint smile.

"Still you wish for something more proper for him, don't you?" asked Naruto with some respect in his tone.

"If it's within your mercy to grant, I would like his ashes to be spread over the atmosphere of Soundya Prime. His dream was to make a kingdom of his own so now that things will change down there, I would like this world to be forever touched by my master" replied Haku with a bit of emotion.

"Granted…" said Naruto making Haku turn to look at him with surprise.

"Thank you" replied Haku bowing slightly.

"Now I imagine you wish for me to disclose fully about the rebellion in exchange for that petition" began to say but Naruto raised his hand to silence him.

"I don't play like that. If I said I would grant that mercy, then I'll grant it out of my own desire and in exchange for nothing. Zabuza was very likely every bit of a monster people say he was, but he fought fair and square and never lied to anyone about how he did things or what he wanted. It's my honor to grant him such a fine rest" said Naruto earning a quizzical look from Haku.

"Then you must have another reason to be here…" said Haku now assessing Naruto carefully.

"Indeed, you'll be turned over to the Justice courts over multiple charges for assassination in which you are the main suspect. They probably don't have much in the substance of evidence but the Magistrates may force the hand of Justice since they are already giving in to the Rebels in order to stabilize Soundya. They want a small victory to feel better out of all this…" said Naruto.

"A regular guard would have told me that, why a Justicar is informing me this?" asked Haku.

"I am the man who killed Zabuza, and so I am the one who carries his last wishes on this world" said Naruto giving a moment for Haku to realize this.

"Despite his many flaws, he wanted you to have a chance at a decent life which I think he wanted to give you once his dream came to fruition. He didn't ask forgiveness for the things he made you do, but he at least wanted you to move on beyond his dream to have dreams of your own" said Naruto allowing Haku another moment but no reaction came to him.

"But as I explained, the Federation won't give you the chance…So I am willing to give you one. Serve under my command for a couple of years until this issue blows out of the politicians minds and then a general pardon will be granted you'll be able to move on with your life" said Naruto crossing his arms over his chest declaring that he was done with what he had to say.

"I accept…" whispered Haku making Naruto feel a bit surprised since he didn't thought Haku would accept so easily.

"It was his last wish for me so I must comply…" said Haku before Naruto could say anything.

"Now please leave me alone…I'll be ready when you call for me…" said Haku returning to his meditative stance on the floor.

Naruto stretched a hand to Haku but decided against it and left the cell door without further comment, as he closed the door he heard a long wail full of sadness from the other side and walked out of the brig section with closed eyes.

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Naruto walked away feeling content that things had gone out well and a bit proud over adding a new element to his rag tag crew, and to think that some months ago he was alone on board his battered gunship Shadow Clone stepping on everyone's toes and screwing up everything he did.

And then all of it changed due to his wild chase with Tayuya and his encounter with Hinata who smuggled herself in his ship out of his own idiocy over telling her of the universe around her, thinking it back he would have done the same thing. Apparently curiosity is a common trait among all sentient humanoid species and that thought made him happier since it was a connection between them all.

"I have to get them something nice…" began to think Naruto when a sudden pang on his chest made his senses flare out of control.

"W-What?...Oh no, has it been so long?" though Naruto as went to a guiding screen looking for the ship's training quarters.

"Hurry!" was all he could think of as he ran towards it.

**Back at the bridge…**

"You have been good for him" said Shikamaru aloud making some heads turn in his direction but he was apparently speaking to Hinata who had remained at the bridge at Shikamaru's request in order to make reports and provide him with some assistance and as retinue of the Justicars she felt compelled to stay instead of following Naruto.

"Excuse me?" said Hinata looking up from a finished report over their actions on Soundya.

"Naruto used to be a loose cannon and no amount of scolding managed to change his less than disastrous behavior and feats. But he has changed since you got into his life, he's closer to what one may expect of a Justicar albeit his actions are still rash" said Shikamaru finally turning to look and the Augyan.

"I-I don't think I am to be given credit over such changes on him…" said Hinata feeling flattered and a bit happy considering he was somewhat special for Naruto.

"That's a fact, but then again it may be that having people under his command makes him more cautious and responsible, after all it's not just his life being place on the line" continued Shikamaru deflating Hinata.

"Still, he feels different than when he got into the Justicar corps…" said Shikamaru.

Hinata wanted to probe further and as if reading his mind Shikamaru began "Back then he was wild and uncaring for the more subtle aspects of a Justicar's duties. He wanted to go out there and get the bad guys wherever he found them not caring about the long term saying that by cutting enough heads you get your point across the rest of the bad guys; quite a barbaric statement in some minds and a simplistic one in my mind"

"But then again, there wasn't much anyone could do with him given his unique origin and his sponsors in high places…I thought it was irresponsible from our high command to let such a careless man prowl the galaxy like that but I realized what was the point behind it all" said Shikamaru now making Hinata curious about his ideas.

"Researchers on worlds begin their investigations by observing what they want to learn about. That's a common practice in most fields of science, so I guessed that's why they gave Naruto such a long and loose leach. They were learning things from him, though to what end I can only speculate" said Shikamaru making Hinata frown to ponder his words.

"Still, things changed when he got you guys. He thinks more, refrains more and though he still screws up, at least he gets the job done. Jobs he would have botched in the past that is" said Shikamaru with a crooked smile over something Hinata could only wonder.

"Anyway, congratulations on a good job, keep it up Hinata Hyuuga" said Shikamaru more martially turning at last to the screens to continue his works giving no space for Hinata to answer back.

Just as Hinata was about to place the slates on the desk and go back to find Tayuya, Shikamaru said aloud and with some urgency "Do not approach him! I'm on my way!"

Shikamaru removed his globes and said to Hinata "Come with me, its Naruto…" and strode past her barely leaving time for Hinata to follow suit.

Both walked with hurried steps to the Ship's training facilities where from afar could hear the savage strikes of something hitting a punching bag.

Having to shove several people aside who stood watching in awe and fear alike they came to the sweating, red skinned Naruto who kept savagely hitting the punching bag with loud grunts almost completely contracted pupils and heavy breathing sounds.

Every time he connected with the punching bag one could see the ripples of the strike and how the bag bended despite being filled with high density sand.

As Hinata advanced towards Naruto Shikamaru crossed his arm in front of her and nodded with his head to not advance.

"Sir? Should we subdue him?" whispered a security guard of the vessel presenting a powerful stun rod.

"No, that would only make it worse. Let him blow some more steam and tell the rest of these people to vacate the deck as slowly and calmly as possible" ordered Shikamaru with all seriousness living no room for questioning despite the strange command.

The guard nodded and began to pull people back with hushed orders while keeping a careful eye on the raging beast still punching the bag with bare hands.

"What do we do?" asked Hinata extremely worried over the enraged Naruto whose state seem to be worsening by the second.

"WE can't do anything but let him blow it over, you debriefed on his traits as a Feranian correct?" said Shikamaru trying not to lose Naruto from his sight.

Hinata was about to reply something but Shikamaru's words did brought back a peculiar piece of information about Naruto and his physical need to relax and avoid the Feranian rage from overcoming him.

And so far their current missions have been of medium to low combat effectiveness and his combat with Zabuza had been intense but brief probably triggering this fit of rage he was trying to blow off before he loses his mind to the rage.

As the bag finally gave and was shredded, Naruto flashed his teeth in anger and went to the lifting machines setting them to the maximum and starting to work on them with furious abandon.

"Can't we really do anything?" asked Hinata hurriedly to Shikamaru who was making certain that no one else remained in the room or the deck for that matter.

"Sakura would be able to do something but she's halfway across the galaxy" said Shikamaru flexing his fingers as Naruto finally destroyed the machine going for another punching bag.

"Sakura? What does she do to calm Naruto?...Oh my!" said Hinata blushing at the act by which the pink haired Justicar managed to keep Naruto in check and recalling on that, Naruto haven't tried anything of the sort with anyone in several months.

"What? Not that! She does that when Naruto is calm as to keep him in that state! When Naruto finally loses it she smashes him into submission since she can remain in control and thus avoid Naruto's worst!" said Shikamaru blushing very slightly knowing what Hinata had suggested.

At last Naruto tore another punching bag and his narrowed eyes fell on Shikamaru and Hinata letting out a low growl making both straight up to attention.

Naruto no longer in his right mind began an animalistic run towards them forcing Shikamaru to hold his hands together and suddenly Naruto seemed locked in place by and immobile force though he was beginning to move an arm.

"Get out of here and notify the crew to shut down life support on this deck and extract the oxygen! It should be enough to cloud him and subdue him!" said Shikamaru with tremendous effort etched on his face as he had somehow stopped Naruto from moving.

"I can't leave you here! If I do that you'll get killed!" said Hinata not knowing well what to do.

"I'll get to one of the emergency locker rooms and take and oxygen mask! Now get out and do as I say, it's an order Retinue!" said Shikamaru as Naruto with loud growls began to advance slowly.

Hinata on her despair turned to look at the feral Naruto and thinking of what Shikamaru said about smashing him into submission and so swallowing her current fear she activated her ocular Psionic power and directed her gaze at Naruto who shined like a star finally managing to put a strain on her power.

"Amazing…" breathed Hinata as she advanced carefully one step at a time towards the enraged Naruto who was gaining momentum at Shikamaru's expense.

As she got closer and focused more the light began to dim in intensity and finally she started to see the lines of power surging through Naruto's body allowing her to see color at last in this state since her bout with Sakura where she had attacked the Hercian by striking the converging points of power in her inner power structure.

Hinata observed Naruto's body trying to pick a place that might bring down Naruto or at least render him weaker. As she followed the power within him, she noted that with all that red energy, there were flashes of blue here and there making her curious but dismissing it she saw that several of the lines connected at Naruto's stomach so concentrating as much as she could, she bent and opening her palms sent a powerful strike to it.

For a moment nothing happened but Naruto gasped painfully and stopped struggling against Shikamaru who visibly relaxed and reasserted his control over Naruto whose pupils dilated back to normal and then his eyes closed.

Hinata who was still in her Psionic power mode noticed that the power surging in Naruto came to a sudden stop and lessened to the point where she could barely glimpse it anymore.

Shikamaru let out a gasp and released Naruto while breathing hard and saying "How the heck did you do that?"

Hinata relaxed her vision and gasped as it hurt terribly her eyes to return back to normality but the pain was brief and soon found herself next to Naruto who was now sleeping soundly and apparently oblivious to what had happened there.

"Will he be alright?" asked Hinata scrubbing her eyes as the pain receded.

"For the moment yes, but he still needs to, you know "relax" and after this little display I don't think any girl in the ship or the fleet for that matter will risk it…maybe instructor Anko but she's at Terra" said Shikamaru while helping Hinata to stand and calling for a medical crew.

"Isn't there any other way to help him? You mean without the …" said Hinata with a blush as she watched Naruto curling to sleep more comfortable.

"Unless you can endure twelve rounds with him on a ring, I doubt it. Anyway, I'll call Sakura and see if she can tell us something to deal with him" said Shikamaru as he placed gloves on his hands again.

"Can't we avoid calling her? Can't we call his grand…I mean Magister Senju?" said Hinata.

"I know everything about Naruto, Hinata, including whose his family is. And I don't think calling her over this will be to her benefit. She's a delicate spot at the moment with the Soundya thing so she doesn't need any distractions that can be dealt with a good, you know…" replied Shikamaru.

"Say, hasn't he tried to, you know with you or the red haired trash mouth?" asked Shikamaru as he made way for the coming paramedics to pick up Naruto and secure him at the medical bay, though the detention brig seemed more fitting.

"I am not exactly sure about Tayuya, I think something happened but not that, as for me, well he hasn't tried anything yet" said Hinata.

Quirking an eyebrow Shikamaru nodded sagely and said "Then, take him to Sakura and let her deal with that, unless you volunteer…"

Hinata blushed intensely and just followed the paramedics leaving a concerned Shikamaru as he saw the damage Naruto had wrought on the Training Area.

"Are plans enough for this?" he said aloud leaving the place.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

"Mmm…mmm…Ramen…" mumbled Naruto as he woke up feeling drowsy and somewhat tired still.

Quickly remembering that he was headed to the Training area of the "Charging Stallion" he rose up and quickly scanned the place and realized it was his own room on board the "Daring Fox"

"A dream?" wondered aloud Naruto as he leant back on his pillows.

"Hardly" said a smooth voice next to him making Naruto fall on the other side of the bed and pop up his head to see the intruder. And once again in all his strange glory was Haku putting down a fashion magazine with his hair flowing around his face making him a somewhat attractive vision.

Haku was dressed what appeared to be loose fitting white robes that closely resembled a dress but not just quite.

"Seriously dude, man up!" furiously thought Naruto as he continued to peek at Haku.

"What do you mean by hardly?" asked Naruto standing up and going for his closet to grab a shirt and put on more clothes.

"Well, from what your companions tell me, you did quite a number on that Federation ship and were in a hurry to get out of there. Fortunately Justicar Shikamaru honored your bargain with me and got me out though he could have given me some time to acquire more clothes" said Haku returning to his magazine and pulling a strand of his hair to the back.

"Alright…and where exactly are we going now?" asked Naruto feeling thankful to apparently not having hurt anyone.

"The dark haired one, Hinata I think, said we were on our way to meet up with another of your associates, Justicar Haruno if I am correct. I am impressed that you are friends with such a fine Justicar, guess I underestimated you" said Haku with an innocent smile that managed to irk Naruto as few people had managed before.

"I see, well we seriously need to give you a new wardrobe and a new hairstyle…"began to say Naruto when he suddenly stopped moving an awkwardly turned his head towards Haku who was now a bit put off over his own strange reaction.

"Did you say Justicar Haruno? As in Sakura Haruno?" said Naruto with wide eyes and sweat drops beginning to form on his face.

"Well yeah, she's quite famous you know?" said Haku without detaching his eyes from the magazine.

"Oh crap!" said Naruto as he hurriedly left his room and went straight to the cockpit without putting on a shirt or his pants for that matter.

"Orange boxers…figures" said Haku with a tiny smile.

**At the cockpit…**

Hinata and Tayuya found themselves enjoying the end of the day with reports finished, weapons cleaned and ship's engines in perfect working order.

Both girls still had a few rough edges but had come to a friendly understanding of comradeship under Naruto's wing, and today was one of those days where they managed to find an accommodation.

"What do you know of Justicar Haruno?" asked Tayuya to Hinata who was at the moment reading more general information and history of the Federation as she had taken a habit of.

Remembering their first encounter and the strange sensations the pink haired Justicar had managed to produce on her and at last the battle at the fighting pit, she shuddered slightly.

"Well, she's Naruto's childhood friend and graduated from the military academy with him and became Justicar about the same time. But where Naruto is like a charging bull, she's more subtle and thus more accomplished in the prosecution of her goals" said Hinata trying to leave the more particular piece of information about Sakura.

"I see, but still, why are we en route to see her? Is it another assignment from the Vigilant?" asked Tayuya still curious making Hinata uncomfortable about the true purpose of their journey.

"Well, it was a prior appointment before you got recruited Tayuya! Just a word of advice, try not to get too close to…" began to say Hinata when Naruto busted in breaking the peaceful atmosphere that had settled on the female element of the ship.

"Drop us out of hyper space and change course Tayuya!" screamed Naruto as he went to try and figure out the controls.

Hinata and Tayuya blinked twice before going crimson over seeing Naruto's almost completely naked body which was just covered at the essential area by a set of bright orange boxers with little Ramen bowls spotting it.

"You stupid perverted moron! Put on some pants!" screamed Tayuya trying to detach her sight from Naruto's rippling muscles.

"Naruto!" managed to squeak Hinata through half covered eyes.

Tayuya seeing that Naruto was about to fumble with the controls grabbed him by the hair and pulled him back with all her might making Naruto grunt with pain but still trying to reach the controls.

"Leave the controls you idiot! We are already arriving at the designated coordinates anyway!" screamed Tayuya pushing Naruto back and inspecting her control scheme.

As if on cue, the ship dropped out of hyper space and immediately the sight of a large white painted vessel dominated the view.

Before them stood a Hercian arrow pattern frigate with red trims (Hercian ships have Mass Effect Turian designs) and immediately a communications beacon flashed on the board.

"Why don't you want to see Sakura, Naruto?" asked Hinata with a bit of sharpness in her voice making everyone in the cockpit wonder why.

"Well, you guys remember some time ago that the Uchiha princess kissed me in front of the whole galaxy? Well, Hercians have a bit of a nick on the shoulder with them and its very likely that Sakura smashed something or someone and now that I am here she will hold me to a reckoning!" said Naruto with some honest concern.

At this Hinata wanted to face palm while Tayuya burst into laughter while poking Naruto's crest fallen face.

"Isn't anyone going to answer the hailing?" said Haku smoothly drawing the attention of Naruto and his two companions.

Everyone turned to the blipping light and Naruto and Hinata grimaced at what may await them on the other side of the communication.

Sighing Naruto pressed the button and said "This Justicar Naruto Uzumaki on board the Daring Fox…"

"Justicar Uzumaki, please move your ship for docking position on the star port. Accommodations for your entire crew has been prepared" said a female voice that didn't belong to Sakura and with that the link severed.

"Can we still make a run for it?" asked Naruto in a pleading tone but Hinata despite herself told him "I don't think it's a good idea to make an appointment with a Justicar and then stood her up. Besides it's not like pain is everything awaiting you up there"

And with that Hinata left the cockpit leaving the other three crew members confused about her sudden rude behavior.

While Naruto and Tayuya looked at each other Haku covered his mouth slightly and with self-amusement he said "It seems that being with you guys is going to be more interesting than I thought…"

**Some cool space maneuvers later…**

The doors opened with a slight hiss and a red light told them that something was amiss as some other sirens wailed within the Silk Hammer.

"Oh right, you guys can't sustain a Hercian gravity" said Naruto as he was still fixing his civilian clothes to look as handsome as possible.

"Oh right, everyone in there must be activating their gravity enhancers" said Tayuya leaning against a wall trying to stretch the clothes Naruto told her to wear saying that she would look really nice and first impressions were important among Justicars.

"This is quite exiting! I have never seen Hercians up close, I wonder if they are as people says" said a pleasantly smiling Haku as he had found a way to wear some of Naruto's clothes and not look as if having chosen the wrong shirt at the store.

The lights became white again and the door opened with a hiss flooding the small retractable hallway with light from a different source.

Just as the door finished opening something large and threatening casted a long shadow inside but the incoming lights didn't allowed for anyone to accurately see the face of the figure in their way.

Naruto acted fast and whispering a quick "Sorry!" grabbed Tayuya by the shoulders and lifting her from the ground propelled her at the waiting figure who quickly expanded her arms making the poor red hair scream in horror over being offered as a sacrifice to whatever imposing monster awaited.

But no shutting jaws claimed her flesh as strong but gentle hands cupped her from the ground and held her like a bride.

"Hello there little one" said a smooth voice blowing some air into Tayuya's ear getting shivers from her.

"W-What?..." said Tayuya as she opened her eyes and caught sight of two warm jade green eyes staring back at her with great intensity and a predatory gaze.

"How could you?" mouthed Hinata at Naruto who was currently dancing a small victory dance.

"Say you are that sexy voice over the intercom asking for permission to dock, right? It was like chocolate in my ears…" said Sakura putting her face dangerously close to Tayuya's who just couldn't move feeling her face go crimson.

"W-wait, what's going on?" said Tayuya finding her voice failing and breathless as she just couldn't detach her eyes from Sakura's.

"Don't worry my fiery angel, I'll take good care of you…" said Sakura drawing her mouth ever closer to Tayuya's who in turn also began to draw closer to Sakura.

"Wait a moment Lady Haruno! That's tremendously un-youthful! Can't you see that the girl was obviously given as a sacrifice?" spoke a loud male voice devoid of any shame effectively shattering the trance in which Tayuya was allowing her to pull free from Sakura and hide behind Hinata.

Growling, Sakura said "I know! And I almost got to the good part! Seriously Lee, I am running low on excuses not to vent you to space and into a star!"

Turning to address her guests Sakura fixed Naruto with her gaze and barked "Up and to the center Uzumaki!"

As if predetermined Naruto jumped slightly and went straight to stand in front of Sakura who in turn directed him a neutral look as she started to inspect him from top to bottom.

At first Hinata thought that Sakura was scrutinizing him with annoyance as a big sister would a little brother but in reality she managed to see some concern in her gaze that was extremely well concealed.

"She really cares for him…" Hinata thought with some sadness.

Once satisfied with her inspection, Sakura's fist flew to the head of Naruto who didn't even tried to dodge and allowed a harsh blow to bend him only for his body to be caught in an awkward embrace by the other Justicar making Tayuya and Haku wonder what was going on though they would find out soon enough.

Sakura whispered something into Naruto's ear and then gave him a long kiss he reciprocated a moment afterwards.

After a few moments Sakura stepped back and for a moment gentler eyes flashed on her face before returning to her steely confident visage and for a small moment she flashed a slight grin at Hinata who felt surprised over the gesture.

"Welcome onboard the Silk Hammer" said Sakura turning back and moving deeper into her vessel which seemed martial and yet discreetly decorated with feminine touches here and there picking the interest of the rest of Naruto's companions.

After a short walk they reached the command bridge which gave a good view of the crew and a tactical display holographic table currently depicting their current location and several stars highlighted as general navigational information.

Tayuya immediately went to it as it was a rarity for someone like her to stare at such advanced technology since she had grown and flown older or more simplistic vessels.

Haku on his side noticed something interesting about the crew of the ship; they were all female except for the weird looking green spandex wearing guy with golden bands attached to his wrists and ankles.

Sakura went past a command throne and into a more secluded meeting room directly behind it while Naruto followed suit and in turn he was followed by Hinata, Tayuya and Haku who also noticed that every single female on board sent angry looks at Naruto as if somehow he had offended them all deeply.

Once in the meeting room, Sakura beckoned the others to seat as well and once all of them took a place she began "Well, so to what do I owe the honor of having the most recent galactic heroes on my ship? You said you needed to see me urgently" said Sakura fixing Hinata with her gaze.

"Well, there was an incident on Soundya Prime and Naruto made a small ruckus on the training facilities of a Federation Flagship. He was subdued with force and the recommendation was to bring him to you…" explained Hinata as Tayuya and Haku looked to one another in search of answers to the strange decision.

Sakura observed Naruto at mention of this and then turned back to Hinata and said "You are saying he hasn't done you yet? Or fiery Tayuya for that matter?"

Hinata blinked twice before understanding what Sakura referred to and blushed intensely dropping her head to avoid being seen.

Tayuya looked at the embarrassed Hinata and made the math in her head, but unlike Hinata she slammed her fists on the table and with a monumental blush she screamed "What? You say we should have slept with whiskers by now?"

Sakura rested her head on her arm and replied with a playful smile "Glad to see you have actually fantasized about it…Anyway, guess I can take care of it, but you caught me at a bad moment and so will need you all to accompany me to my home world"

This made the mood in the room drop slightly and Naruto was the one to ask with concern "Has something happened Sakura? Is everything alright?"

Sakura smiled gently and said "Nothing's wrong, it's just that my mother wishes to speak with me and it's better not to challenge the head of your own clan"

Swallowing hard Hinata asked "And what's so urgent we need to accompany you?"

"Nothing great, it's just that my mother wants to speak to me about my refusal to accept an engagement…" said Sakura closing her eyes with a bit of annoyance while the others went wide eyed.

"Who said that playing for the good guys could be so entertaining?" thought Haku as he was amused with the reaction of his new companions.

**AN: Done again!**

**Hope you like this rendition my loyal readers!**

**Now to a topic I was made aware by a reviewer on another of my projects. Apparently the site has become recently quite stingy about its norms for the stories being published here and thus started to remove many stories annoying the hell out of many authors and very likely many readers who enjoyed their work.**

**The policies of the site about ratings for different age are limited and quite vague as I have found out making a lot of stories to become endangered of being removed without notice to the author!**

**So if anyone of the site by any chance gets wind of this, please put a MA rating and put appropriate disclaimers so that authors continue to publish their work unhindered or aggravated to the point where they no longer wants to write or publish anything here.**

**I have checked out other sites and have found them wanting and AdultFanFiction is awful and have no intention of publishing anything there.**

**My stories are intended for mature audiences and thus I expect people 18 or older to read them and enjoy them. And as such I was intending to write sex scenes but now I am not so sure for fear of offending a $#%/ and having my story removed without prior notice or warning!**

**For the time being, I intend to keep writing here but I advise anyone who enjoys my stories to copy every chapter and keep it for future readings as apparently no one is safe of getting screwed by some over sensitive $#%/&.**

**Read, Enjoy and Review!**


	21. Seeking Answers

**Chapter 21: Seeking answers.**

Tayuya had been commanded to return to the Daring Fox and set an independent course to Hercia and store the ship at one of the orbiting discs that composed the impregnable defense grid of the planet of heroes.

Naruto, Hinata and Haku stayed with Sakura on the Silk Hammer as they made further preparations for their trip back home as they needed to change the public denomination of the Silk Hammer for a new port name as Sakura's duties as a Justicar made her a somewhat public figure.

So her operations used one of the Hercian most common practices of economic gain, Security Services which basically translated to Mercenaries.

And so using a Hercian frigate and crew she managed to disguise her presence everywhere by pretending to be a Hercian mercenary, one of the most common vistas in every major spaceport, and in Jiraiya's opinion one of the smartest ways to hide in plain view.

Onboard Sakura and Naruto had withdrawn to catch up with one another and Hinata suspected that there was some physical catch up to be made as well. But to her more pleasant surprise every single one of Sakura's crew members were very attentive to her and Haku making her staying on this strange vessel more bearable though she was still to know why they despised Naruto like plague, when most females that had encountered Naruto so far had seen him with lustful eyes.

But niceties apart, she was genuinely surprised to hear of Sakura that her family back at Hercia wanted her for an arranged marriage and when she interrogated her crew about it they said that it was an ancient custom between friendly families who had shared great victories or defeats together but the identity of the groom to be, eluded her as the crew refused to say it, as for some reason it pained them terribly.

Still Hinata decided to make some preparation for the place they were going to as obviously Naruto wouldn't do it, Tayuya was not a cultured enough people and Haku was kept busy by the enthusiastic crew who kept asking him about how to have such looks.

So she went to the ship's library and asked a screen to give general information on Hercia.

Hercia was one of the first planets upon which humanity found sentient life when they had begun their legendary expeditions to the far reaches of space.

On chronological order, Hercia was the next world after Treelia upon which humanity had found humanoid sentient life and immediately had begun the proper steps to uplift them properly and bring them into their nascent federation.

But unlike Treelians who were civil, technologically advanced and peaceful, Hercians were warlike, stubborn and prone to seek dominance over others as their warrior clans had for thousands of years.

So it didn't came as a surprise when human and Treelian ships came out of hyperspace that Hercians pulled together their best scientists to form up a space warship and went to conquer these new rivals.

This in turn surprised both humans and Treelians for before their coming, Hercians didn't even considered space travel in their technological development and now they were coming to greet them in a patched up thing that barely survived the exit trip and had to be rescued by them.

But even after being rescued the Hercian warriors would not yield a simple thanks and instead demanded to have a duel with whoever was in command of the ship to surrender it and take it back to Hercia as a trophy.

Thankfully the human admiral was a master of almost every single martial art on Terra and he took the challenge despite being quite old and small compared to the towering Hercian warriors who seemed even more invincible as the heavy gravity of their world didn't constricted them.

But the admiral used their massive strength against them and defeated them in one of the most peculiar historic moments known to the Federation, for the Hercians challenged the admiral in over a hundred duels until they finally admitted their defeat.

Afterwards the humans transported the Hercians back to the surface though they had to use suits with hydraulics to sustain the heavier gravity of the world which despite this was wonder to stare at.

Hercia unlike most worlds with sentient life has no significantly large bodies of water and instead the planet is covered by endless soaring mountain ranges with steep valleys in between where the Hercians had evolved and developed but due to the lack of distinctive borders the whole planet was divided in different and varied clans that called each valley a home.

In time as technology improved and space became increasingly constrained, Hercians began to dig into the mountains and made roads to other valleys to inhabit, only to find them already occupied and so countless generations of Hercians lived in constant warfare that honed them into brutal warriors who developed their society into a war based one.

Finally during their technological golden age, a council of powerful clans brought order to the planet and began the transformation of Hercia by building tunnels and carving cities on the mountains themselves creating a world that was on the verge of space travel by the time humanity found them and finished their process of development.

Hercians honored the human admiral and thus conceded a request from the man who simply asked for peace and friendship to last forever.

And unexpectedly every Hercian witnessing this knelt and vowed that until the last Hercian perished their bond of friendship towards humanity and its allies would never break and would gladly sum their strength to their to forge a universe worth of the great gods beyond the skies.

And so this event had truly given birth to the Enterran Federation for all purposes as the Treelian technology, the Hercian muscle and the Human spirit fueled the great age of exploration that ended with the Uchiha betrayal.

And speaking of betrayals, apparently after the Uchiha Pact formed and half a billion Hercians had perished in the war, many due to traitorous tactics, now every child on that world and their colonies was brought with the promise to never forget and never forgive the Uchiha and someday see their betrayal paid in blood a hundred times.

This in turn was one of the reasons of why the Federation had so many difficulties in making peaceful approaches to the Uchiha or its allies, for the Hercians would make all sort of threats from killing sympathizers to unilaterally attack the Uchiha with their warships which were among the best armed in the galaxy.

Hinata sighed and then made the input to find the information about social customs between Hercians but at that moment the ship's communications system came to life and announced that they had arrived to Hercia's orbit and would soon be making docking maneuvers with the Aegis Defense disc for the Frigate was too big for planet side landing.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Prior to landing on Hercia, Naruto's companions had been given highly advanced skin tight suits that helped their bodies sustain the punishing gravity of Hercia by strengthening their framework and helping as synthetic muscles to move unhindered on the surface though they would need to sleep in gravity controlled rooms as the suits need movement to remain charged.

Once more Naruto impressed Hinata and his crew by not needing a suit like that and just said that he would finally be able to break a sweat while on Hercia.

As they all went on the shuttle and glimpsed at the massive planet below, Hinata was amazed by the sheer size of some mountains as even from this distance she could see their peaks and how they almost punctured the lesser atmosphere of the planet.

On the approach Hinata started to distinguish cities that were built upon the mountains and the long metallic roads connecting them while the valleys had become agricultural hubs of several gigantic floors that allowed to compensate for the lack of rolling fields.

On the descent Sakura had explained that while the world didn't possessed large water masses like on Terra or Nova Arctara, Hercia's entire water supply was potable, which meant that every single drop of it could be used for agriculture and life sustenance.

The shuttle took a harsh turn and then they were headed towards two mountain ranges divided by a steep valley between them and from this distance Hinata, Tayuya and Haku managed to distinguish two large statues carved on both mountain ranges facing one another and with long white stone arms reaching to one another in sign of friendship and peace.

"Behold the eternal oath brothers of Hercia" said Sakura with some strange mixture of pride and sadness in her voice.

"Honzou Haruno and Gran Lee! Long ago during the first days of the golden era of exploration they were the leaders of the Haruno and Lee war clans and each had been selected to be the defensive arm of two separate expeditionary fleets" said Lee with nothing but pride as he recited the story of both clans.

"When expeditionary fleets encountered some of the alien species that now inhabit the Yordan Veil and war erupted, both clans were decisive to keep the fleets from being destroyed before a relief force could aid them.

"It was during that time that our ancestors forged their friendship bonds and made the Oath of Brotherhood!" said Lee but as he was about to continue the story the annoyed and almost threatening glare of Sakura shut him up with some embarrassment and guilt.

After that no one said anything until the shuttle landed in one of the ornate landing pads belonging to the Haruno war clan, where a small welcoming party awaited them with gifts and the flags of the Haruno family which consisted of an ancient looking red hammer on a sky blue field.

The moment the shuttle turned off its systems Hinata, Tayuya and Haku gasped slightly as the gravity of Hercia gave its first tug at them forcing the support suits to activate hugging closely their bodies and helping them adjust. Naruto on his side flexed his muscles and whistled with a grin etched on his face making Hinata and the others believe if there was anything that could actually deter him at all.

The shuttle doors opened and the bright light of Hercia's blue star showered them with the warmth of spring and immediately the sound of flutes started a low humming tone which made Tayuya shiver as if pleased by the sound.

"Welcome to Hercia and to the home of Haruno, in the name of our ancestors let peace reign supreme here while war befalls our enemies" said a smooth female voice that belonged to a tall woman with very similar characteristics to Sakura albeit with some clear differences.

The woman's hair was straight where Sakura's seemed spiky and messy, and her eyes were a shade lighter of green to Sakura's.

The woman dressed in a long white dress carried a blood red sash crossed behind her and held at her elbows and with a smile she introduced herself "I am Sango Haruno, 217th head of the Haruno war clan of Hercia and I welcome you all to the halls of my family"

At this several maidens with similar traits went ahead and gave each visitor a small set of gifts which consisted of oils, salt and a badge with a small red hammer depicted on it, which they whispered was to signal them as honored guests.

Sango waited until the maidens finished the gift giving and then went with stretched arms as Sakura walked towards her and both embraced one another.

"Welcome home my dear Sakura, it's been long since we saw you in person" said Sango with truthful feelings.

"I am glad to be home mother, but you already know my position on this oath you insist we honor. And I am not going to change my mind anytime soon" said Sakura trying to sound as gentle as possible for she really didn't wanted her companions to be involved in her family scuffle.

"We'll talk about that in due time but for the time being let us acquaint with one another for our duties call constantly making these moments rare at best. Now, how about you introduce me to your friends?" said Sango letting go of her daughter to address the guests.

Sakura nodded and went to stand by her mother while saying "This is Justicar Naruto Uzumaki and the others are members of his retinue. Hinata Hyuuga, Tayuya Hokumon and Haku…sorry I didn't caught your last name"

"Momochi, Haku Momochi would be fine" said Haku courtly without any anger at the confusion.

"Uzumaki…Well you certainly brought us quite a guest here my dear and from the looks of it he isn't wearing a support suit. The Feranian prowess is to be held truthful then, not many species in the galaxy can stand here without one of those" said Sango with a neutral look to Naruto and then a directed her gaze to the rest of his companions committing their faces and names to memory.

After this brief exchange the party got in motion once more into the deep holds of the Haruno and to enjoy the commodities for guests.

At this part Hinata observed that a lot was done with rigorous yet quick protocol by every single one of the house attendants which some also apparently were members of the house and as Sakura was kind enough to explain, they were the family members either too young to join the fleet, become a mercenary or just didn't had the fire to dedicate their lives to such endeavors and instead found honor in service to the house and its many other ways of life such as the arts or science.

Still if catastrophe ever be felled the house they would fight as hard and savagely as any other member of the Haruno.

At this point Hinata found some sort of understanding with Sakura since she used to be a princess back in Augya and at the same time envied her since she at least had the freedom to go away and make a living for her own.

Still they were here because she was being set for a marriage she clearly didn't wanted and if her "preferences" indicated something, she could not be convinced otherwise.

"Lady Lee will be joining us for dinner so if you please, you can all go to roam the house and don't be afraid to request anything" said Sango splitting herself and her daughter from the rest of the party as they went to have a more private talk.

After this, Naruto and his companions turned to Lee who straightened up and said "Can I help you guys with something? It would be my honor!"

"Why you didn't told us that you were some sort of royalty on this world bushy brows?" asked Naruto though he wasn't angry in the least.

"Would it suffice to say that no one ever asked?" said Lee in his defense making the others cast him a blank gaze.

Getting them all into a separate room with a large balcony he began his account "Well, Sakura's family and my own are allied since our mighty ancestors made the Oath of Brotherhood during the brief war with the aliens from the Yordan Veil"

Hinata quickly making the math of why a woman like Sakura would allow a male on her ship besides Naruto and their current predicament, sighed and said "And let me guess if I may, you are his groom to be, correct?"

"WHAT?" screamed Tayuya with her almost bulging out while Naruto was also genuinely surprised for he had never expected this.

Ignoring the loud mouth, Lee nodded crestfallen and said "That would be correct Miss Hyuuga, the Oath of Brotherhood basically consists of the desire for those who made it to someday share blood as kindred. So when this happens, a boy and a girl from each family and within an acceptable age are meant to marry one another, but there are conditions that need to be met"

Breathing out Lee continued "They have to be direct descendants from those who made the oath and so, in our case, the future heads of our clans. But though it has been centuries the necessary requirements have not been met in large part due to the scientific advantages that have granted us with longer life spans making the birth of children far and between"

"Now that we live an average of 500 years, some heirs are born with decades of difference making this ancient oath almost impossible to fulfill. And some decades ago, Sakura's and my mother were born with just days of difference but their same gender prevented them from fulfilling the oath, so they made a pact to marry and produce heirs at almost the same time and to both families' joy I was born and then a year after Sakura came to this world" said Lee with a forced cheerful smile.

Hinata imagined what happened, given that she found herself in a very similar position of having her will ignored and heaped on something as awful and judging the not so charming looks of Lee, she wouldn't be so excited to marry him either.

"But as we grew up and our parents made us spent lots of time together, Sakura's intellect grew exponentially to the point she had left me behind our child games for her continued hunger of knowledge and understanding as she truly wanted to lead her family to the best of her ability. But one day she downright refused to continue playing with me and all she replied was that no one was going to force anything as important as a marriage on her!" said Lee.

"Still by honor she couldn't get out of it easily and so dedicated her every waking effort to squeeze herself out of the oath despite the constant claims from her family to understand the benefits and great honor it would bestow on her family. But still she kept her defiance and downright treated me hostilely from that point onwards putting an end to our shared times together" continued Lee as he served drinks to everyone.

"Then one day she did something no one in the family expected, she found her psionic powers which made her far stronger than a regular Hercian allowing her greater strength and enhanced healing. But such powers are extremely rare on our kind so this gave my family a pause on their desire to see her married with me and in turn the Federation officers said that they were better suited to deal with her powers giving her a chance to walk away" said Lee with a sigh.

"But the day she was going to leave Hercia, I was sent to bid her farewell and perhaps make her change her mind. But it was to no avail, she was looking upwards towards the descending shuttle with a large grin full of satisfaction and promise. To be honest it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and I realized then that as I were back then, she would never take me, so I would have to struggle and hopefully be worthy enough of her" said Lee but as quickly as his face had illuminated with the light of hope, the moment his eyes crossed Naruto's seating figure, he became crestfallen and a bit depressed.

"But I was beaten to my goal…"sighed Lee, with so much sadness in his voice that Naruto turned his face in undeserved shame and made Hinata, Tayuya and Haku feel terribly sympathetic with the youthful man.

Still Hinata had her doubts and said "And how comes you ended up joining her crew? Especially since you know…"

Nodding at what Hinata meant, Lee replied "After she departed I started to work really hard in becoming the man who could win her heart and earn her as a wife. So I began studying though it was really hard and didn't managed to understand even half of the things she studied…So I dedicated to train my body into the best fighting machine Hercia has ever produced but when I was shown what Sakura was capable of doing…I was found terribly wanting…"

At this Hinata, Tayuya and Haku were once more very sympathetic with Lee though Naruto kept his gaze apart in undeserved shame.

"At long last as I felt my body breaking apart, my Psionic Powers awakened within me giving me a chance to be at Sakura's side making my heart soar with joy! And so with some pressure from my mother I was sent to the academy where Sakura was sent two years before" said Lee with sparks in his eyes letting know that he was man of powerful emotions.

But before he continued to speak, Lee's eyes became watery again and after loudly cleaning them and his nose, he continued "But when I went to see her at her class, I…I... I found her kissing with another person…and this time I knew that I wouldn't be able to work hard enough to be worth of her…"

"Why not? You worked you ass hard enough to get into the same academy, that's impressive and rather cute I say" said the blushing Tayuya who was clearly charmed by the story.

"Because Sakura was kissing a girl…" said the crestfallen Lee making Haku stifle a laugh, Tayuya go crimson realizing how close she had been to becoming Sakura's new mark on her belt and Hinata cast a sympathetic awkward smile trying to give some comfort to the almost crying Lee.

Lee cleared his eyes and with a new shining light about them he went straight towards Naruto who really wanted to be somewhere else.

Lee forcefully grabbed Naruto's hand and said "But you gave me back hope honored friend! For when I found you and Sakura sharing a very intimate make out session, I knew then that only the greatest of men could sway her heart! So if I work hard enough then I'll be able to finally win her over!"

At this Naruto wasn't angry but rather felt awkward and wanted to bolt out of there while Haku went to the balcony in order to finally let out his pent up laughter and Tayuya just snickered a bit while going to refill her drink and Hinata sighed placing a hand on Lee's shoulder feeling sorry for him.

After this Lee excused himself as he needed to get into a change of clothes in order to properly greet his mother who was coming for dinner.

"I really like Lee, but he's even more thickheaded than I am…"said Naruto thinking he owed some sort of explaining given the mess they just walked into.

"He's a good man but I don't think he's that thick headed Naruto" replied Hinata taking a sip from the delicious drinks Lee had brought for them.

"What do you mean Miss Hyuuga?" asked Haku now feeling a bit guilty over laughing so hard over the balcony at Lee's expense.

"I think Lee knows what's going on, at some level he must that is. But he's terribly in love with Justicar Haruno… so he denies it and instead he's just content to be by her side and not lose hope" said Hinata with a bit more sentiment than she intended.

"That's tragic" said Haku.

"That's lame! We should knock some sense into his head!" said Tayuya though she kind of understood a bit of his feelings since she used to be so lonely.

After that little exchange the group fell into a silence that Haku couldn't avoid breaking with the only question left hanging.

"What do you think of all this Naruto? You and Justicar Haruno are something of an item aren't you? An odd one of course but you clearly have a connection" said Haku moving his hair to the back of his head.

Naruto shuffled slightly uncomfortably since he wasn't used to such situations and his relationship with Sakura was quite a free one with lots of fun and not many attachments. And this made him happy enough for he knew that Sakura could take care of herself and that sat well with him, since both had grown up supporting each other.

"I don't think it's my place to tell her what to do and much less how to handle herself with her family…I mean she's smart enough to deal with these things, right?" asked the very confused Naruto making his companions feel slightly bad for him for they knew out of common sense that he did had a say in all of this as Sakura's longest time friend and the closest to a lover she ever had.

Hinata felt especially apprehensive since Sakura herself had confessed to her that she loved Naruto and that he was her most important person in the world; but she considered that Sakura had confided that information so she would not divulge it…that and the fact that she was willing to share though she didn't knew the seriousness of that statement given her recent behavior.

"Naruto, you are his friend and as such should be able to voice an opinion if it comes down to it, so make sure you are certain of your stance in all of this" sagely said Haku making Tayuya nod positively.

At this Naruto sighed and said "It's only that they are two of my very few friends in the galaxy…But I guess you are right, I'll think it through"

Just as the party was about to enjoy the rest of the afternoon the doors to their chambers opened and there stood Sakura along with two maidens of her house.

Sakura observed them and said "Lady Raika Lee has arrived and we'll join her for dinner with my mother. We'll lend you proper clothes for the evening so please follow us; Naruto you are already well dressed so someone will come for you in a while…"

Hinata observed herself and then her companions and indeed, Naruto was the better dressed of them all not to mention that her line of work didn't gave her any time for shopping and her current wardrobe consisted of armored jackets, tight pants, boots, simple shirts and a light power armor which was now to be complimented by a set of guns.

Haku dressed simple beige clothes while Tayuya wore similar clothes to Hinata albeit she wasn't as gifted.

The three then shared a look with one another and laughed awkwardly while heading in the doors direction.

Sakura commanded her maidens to help Tayuya and Haku change clothes in different rooms while Sakura took it on herself to help Hinata in a separate room. At this Hinata sent a small pleading look to Tayuya who just gave her a thumbs up sign with a mouthed "Good Luck!"

Sakura led Hinata into a large room, which by the looks of it haven't been used in a while and on the large bed were two dresses displayed and ready to be putted on.

Sakura closed the doors and sighed as she went by the bed's side and began to undress from her daily attire which happened to be a bit more stylish but equally serviceable as Hinata's current selection of wardrobe.

"Come on, I don't bite…that hard" said Sakura with a tired smile beckoning Hinata to start undressing.

Hinata tried to catch any ill intent but Sakura just didn't seem to have any energy to start fooling around, so she began to undress by the bed side silently.

Hinata observed Sakura's naked body and she noticed a few thin scars running through her body in several irregular patterns but still their number did not diminish her feminine beauty in the least.

Sakura ran her hands through her body slightly crossing her fingers over the lines of her scars which Hinata imagined had been treated enough as to barely leave a mark on her body without sacrificing the smoothness of a woman's skin.

"Do you know what it feels to be bound to such an absurd thing as a promise made by two dead guys? Even if their friendship was such a vaunted thing, they had no right to impose their selfishness down unto their families" said Sakura with frustration in her voice.

Hinata wanted to reply that indeed she understood but recognized that Sakura wasn't done nor wanted any patronizing.

"And then my mother and Lady Lee plotted since childhood to bear children at the same time to fulfill that promise…And then they expect their children to comply without a hitch! The nerve!" seethed Sakura picking the dress with an intent to rip it apart.

Calming down and setting the dress again on the bed, Sakura began to put on the appropriate underwear while saying "But then again, there's duty and that doesn't depends on blood bonds or friendship ones…And Hercia is ruled by honor, so people like me and in my position get more than a slap to the wrist when we decide to ignore it"

"So what can you do?" asked Hinata without thinking earning a cynic laughter from Sakura.

"I can do a lot, but to not break honor, I would be forced to do terrible things, things no one would like but are within the codes of our people. Things that would forever break our friendship with the Lee war clan and ultimately crush our friend Lee" said Sakura with a dark tone.

Undressing warily knowing Sakura's preferences, Hinata went to grab her dress and began to snug into it surprised to see that it fitted her well wondering when did anyone took her measures making her suspicious to how dubious could Sakura be.

"And what could you do?" asked Hinata with some perverse interest in the answer.

"Deny him…Call him wanting and make my case based on evidence I have been collecting of him ever since he followed me to the Academy on Terra. I would depict his every failure, his every annoying trait, his mistakes, and ultimately present a better candidate which in turn would forever shame him and his family…" said Sakura with a dark smile etched on her face.

"That would be terrible!" gasped Hinata imagining the repercussions something like that would do to such a cheerful and good hearted man like Lee.

"Indeed! It would be terrible and one might even excuse me saying that I was pushed into a corner and fought back with every nasty trick available but the truth would be that I allowed myself to be drawn into this point. I should have settled this matter as soon as Lee began chasing me but I was unable thinking that I had endless time ahead of me! And who could say that I don't? I am to live for five centuries!" said Sakura as she quickly fixed the dress on her curves.

Hinata bowed her head slightly overwhelmed by the sentiment in Sakura's voice but a part of her speech managed to draw a question she needed answered.

"You seem to have the will to go ahead and do all those things to keep yourself from marrying. So why hesitate?" asked Hinata as she went slowly about her dress.

"Why indeed…Well, I guess I need a very compelling reason to go ahead and bring down the axe. You remember that I mentioned that I could name a challenger? To declare that I have found a more suiting husband for my family than Lee. But that in turn would bring great shame to his family and very likely create enmity between us, something that can hound us for generations" said Sakura as if deflated by the prospect of doing such a thing.

"Naruto…" said Hinata knowing who would be that challenger.

"Correct, our beloved Naruto is both the answer and the biggest question here" said Sakura evenly a she went to help Hinata put on the Hercian dress.

"Why? I am sure he would be glad to help you out, you are very important to him" said Hinata the obvious words though she herself found it stinging to say them.

"Yes, I agree I am important to him…But how important I really am? Sure we have had our fun, went through the academy together, explored one another until not a single crook is unknown to one another, gave each other our virginities, played pranks to no end, conquered girls shamelessly and still up to this point he has never told me once that he loves me…" said Sakura adjusting Hinata's sash a bit too tight.

"Not once?" gasped Hinata trying to loose the sash.

"Not even close…and still that's why I kind of love him for I dread the day he actually says it, for I fear I would not believe him. And that would be the end of me" finished saying Sakura as she went to seat in front of the mirror and went through her jewelry with little interest.

Hinata was shocked by this piece of information and even more by the depth of Sakura's feelings for the blonde Justicar and this in turn brought back the hesitation Naruto showed earlier when the subject of his role in all this came to the surface.

Hinata went behind Sakura and grabbing a brush began to gently comb Sakura's hair to straighten a bit her unruly hair and make it more lady like for the evening.

While she did the repetitive action, Hinata began to ponder as to why would Naruto have any doubts about his relationship with the pink haired Hercian and slowly she found possibilities.

Naruto is the only Feranian in the whole of the Federation and had a lot of responsibilities dumped on his shoulders at a very early age. And thinking of age, he may look like a young adult man, but in all honesty he remained a child in the face of his people who could live up to a thousand years! How would Naruto be after the passing of a millennium? That itself was enough to make Hinata shudder with fear for such time sounded impossible.

And then, the issues with his instincts; which he needed to keep under control along with his urges.

This in turn brought a silly question of why he hadn't indulged himself ever since they left Terra. Especially after having recruited her and Tayuya!

Hinata blushed madly at this for she actually had fancied considering to help Naruto with that issue and for that matter, to do so along with Tayuya.

Still, after considering this she kind of understood why Naruto hesitated so much. To be him couldn't possibly be easy and to be asked such an important question and expect a conclusive and honest answer seemed almost unfair.

"He's changed" finally said Sakura as she finished fixing emerald jewelry to her frame and appraising herself on the mirror she seemed like a princess. So feeling content she made Hinata seat and treated her to the same treatment with the brush.

"What do you mean?" asked Hinata why she observed the reflected image of Sakura behind her.

"Ever since he plucked you from your planet…He has changed a lot more than one would think. He seems a bit more mature, more concerned, gentler and a bit sadder" said Sakura while addressing her current action with care as not to damage Hinata's hair.

"We have been through a couple of tight spots" replied Hinata not too certain of Sakura's words for Naruto didn't seemed that different from when she met him.

"I know, he told me when we made lo…you know…How he decided to keep Tayuya around, when he went berserk on the Arctarian at the station and his mission on Soundya and the way he killed Zabuza…To be honest, Naruto would have never grabbed Tayuya in the first place trusting her to remain alive for him to chase her down time and time again for all time if possible" said Sakura carefully picking a couple of light purple earrings from a small wooden box and putting them on Hinata.

"He wouldn't have lost his cool during his fight with the Arctarian and he would have thrown a building on top of Zabuza!" said Sakura with a playful smile on her face as she went now for a necklace of similar stones to those on the earrings.

"Instead he got mad, he got worried, and he cared enough to allow others to travel with him into the jaws of danger where he once found his greatest joy and excitement! He's different and I admit it makes me waver about how much he still cares about me" said Sakura stopping all motions as she finished putting the necklace on Hinata.

At this, Hinata remembered how scared and desperate Naruto became when Tayuya got hurt during their mission at Hysperia and his reluctance to let her go. If Sakura's testimony was something to go by, the old Naruto wouldn't have gotten others involved in the first place but something had changed.

With her curiosity picked Hinata wanted to learn exactly what had happened so she decided to start by the beginning.

"How did you fell in love with him?" asked Hinata as Sakura had gone for a small ornate make up kit.

Sakura faltered slightly before the question but then continued and sat by Hinata as she assessed the girl to decide the correct colors.

"Well, that was quite a day to be honest. The Academy was founded with the purpose of producing the best line officers for the Federation's expansive armies across the Galaxy and on that peculiar day two new unexpected students were meant to start their instruction" began Sakura as she went for the brighter colors to bring out Hinata's face from the dark visage of her hair.

"On that day a Hercian, the best shock troopers in the galaxy was meant to receive training beyond that of being infantry not to mention that she had displayed Psionic powers making her one in billions! But that event was largely eclipsed by the historic day in which a member of a newfound species of highly advanced spacefarers would join the Academy to begin cementing relationships towards the newest addition to the Federation" said Sakura as she was intent on applying the make up to Hinata's fair face.

"Along with every student, I went to see the new arrival as officers, reporters and the three magistrates awaited with great expectation for this was something no one had seen in their lifetimes" continued Sakura.

"Imagine everyone's surprise when an incredibly short blonde kid stepped down from the shuttle fearfully holding to Shizune's hand and flashes of light bathed them and lots of people began to make questions. Then the Magistrates went to the boy and each welcomed him in their own peculiar way" said Sakura without realizing the tender smile on her face.

"And so our days at the academy began and as expected he and I stood as freaks in a circus. He was basically a miniature alien and I a taller than average flat little girl with more strength than I should! No one got close to us and always made fun of us for one reason or another and the instructors didn't bother in helping us due to our peculiar origins" continued Sakura as she moved to Hinata's eyes.

"So one would say that we would stick together right? Freaks unite or something, right? Well to be honest neither of us wanted to get close to the other for fear of making things worse so we went through the first months of instruction alone and without friendships until one day in particular we were assigned as team members for a combat exercise, and though we were strong and fast, we didn't understood each other and ended up screwing it badly" said Sakura going smoothly over Hinata's face.

Finishing with the slight appliance of lip gloss Sakura sat back and allowed Hinata to work on her this time falling into a well understood chemistry.

"That left a nick on our shoulders for we blamed one another for the failure so it lead us to fight it out like a couple of stubborn brats and boy did it hurt for where I used my martial training he used pure savagery so he scratched and bit everywhere!" Sakura said with a laugh as she tried to remain still while Hinata worked on her.

"In the end neither of us won for we always kept getting up, so without a clear winner we started to try and outdo one another but given that I was a better student it wasn't really much of a competition but still he insisted not acknowledging his defeat. So that in turn reminded me of Lee's efforts to win me over and think he could get me like some sort of trophy, and that didn't sit well with me" said Sakura as Hinata went to apply a very light pink lipstick on her.

Having ended their preparations, Sakura and Hinata stood up in front of one another admiring the beauty of each other for where Hinata was soft and dark, Sakura stood vibrant and bright.

"So with a cup of instant Ramen I went to him after he finished one of his punishing training sessions which lacked any discipline or real learning, and asked him to stop already and focus on something else. Boy I didn't expected what he did then, for he took the cup and listened to everything I had planned to say with only the annoying sounds of him slurping the noodles" said Sakura as she sat on a bench inviting Hinata to join her while they awaited the call to join the dinner.

"Once I was done with my speech full of compelling reasons to have him stop and focus on something else he stared at me with his big bright eyes, which I found adorable at the time, and said that he wasn't doing it to best me or become my equal! He said he was doing it to become the most awesome student at the Academy and show everyone else what Naruto Uzumaki was made of! And that he wouldn't allow pink haired weirdo to outshine him!" said Sakura with a snickering making Hinata smile at the childish comment.

"That made me so mad, that I took his Ramen and finished it while I kept him at a distance with my longer arm so he bit me again and we went at it once more and like before no one could claim a definite victory! So we settled after our scuffle and he said that he wanted to be just as awesome as I was and be even more to prove the whole galaxy who he was!" continued Sakura.

"He flattered me and defied me at the same time and I realized that he didn't wanted anything with me but just to leave me behind in his quest, and well I kind of got attached to such an ambitious character and fell in the wake of his dreams" sighed Sakura.

"After that Naruto kept his crazy efforts and I decided to help him if only to see what crazy thing he would do next and the next thing that happened he was always coming to me for advise, suggest me new ideas or just talk away his day and the multiple childish adventures he went through during that day. And after a while and seeing how much fun he had on his own, I started to join him and, I guess that's where it happened. Suddenly we started growing up, our bodies changed, at last, our curiosity led us to experiment and we kept it going throughout our education, Justicar training and our induction" finished saying Sakura.

"Lee saw you as a trophy to be won through hard work, or a goddess to worship. Naruto got to you as a true honest friend and took you along for the ride…I think I understand, in the end you were the one trailing after him…" said Hinata unable to stop smiling for such an endearing story.

"But the thing is, that now he's changed from the goofy hero he was into this new Naruto, I am afraid he no longer feels the same for me, or if he ever did…" said Sakura.

"So you brought us here to be certain and so you could make your decision about this arranged marriage too" said Hinata reaching the point behind their invitation to this world.

"Glad Naruto has someone not so dense by his side…" began to say Naruto when a knock to the door drew their attention.

"Lady Sakura, your mother and the guests are heading to the dining room. Please head there as soon as possible" spoke a soft voice from the other side of the door.

"Show time…" said Sakura drawing a nod from Hinata who now also wanted to clear this situation.

**AN: Done again!**

**I was inspired when I wrote this one down!**

**Hope you people enjoyed it for I'll be taking a small rest from this story to update my other two projects so expect an update within the next month.**

**As I said before, this is the arc where the romantic relationship between Naruto and Hinata will begin but for it to begin, Naruto's current relationship with Sakura needs to be resolved in a satisfactory manner that doesn't falls to the cheap punches other authors use to build heart changes.**

**But as one of my most loyal readers pointed out, I don't need to be restricted or forced to write my story in any given way so now that we stand at an important cross roads. I reach out to you people to ask.**

**Should I make this story exclusively NaruHina? Or should I satisfy my lowest desires (And yours) and let Sakura stay in the mix?**

**Know that at the moment it can go either way so it's all the same to me and some input from my readers would be greatly appreciated to help me make up my mind.**

**Regarding again the recent rating sweep of FanFiction, should I write lemons for this story? If anyone has read my previous work on the Wandering Sage, you should know that I went from writing graphic ones to more "elegant" softer ones.**

**Anyway, I am dragging it so as always.**

**Read, Enjoy and Review!**


	22. The Important Things

**Chapter 22: The Important Things**

Hinata and Sakura made their way to the grand dining hall which to the first reminded her of a warriors den with hunting and war trophies hung from extremely tall walls beside weapons from many different ages, some of them going as back to the cave dwelling days of the Hercian.

By the gigantic thick wooden table was already standing Haku and Tayuya which Hinata could barely recognize for their clothes had been replaced with fine garments meant for the occasion.

Haku wore a suit similar to Naruto's and he used his hair in a long flowing low ponytail tied by a red string. Nonetheless Hinata couldn't help to feel that he resembled a she in cross dressing for his grace defied normal standards.

Tayuya on her side wore a red dress and her hair finally combed was adorned with jewels hanging from her apparently polished horns unto her forehead making her look more regal than probably her entire life.

Lee was standing on the far end of the hall next to a door as he fidgeted nervously while Naruto was standing on the other side casting nervous glances over his back.

"They seem more worried than I am" said Sakura with a confident smile that Hinata replied with one of her own for in truth the two males seemed even more stressed over the incoming dinner.

As in cue the doors at both lengths of the hall opened and from each came a procession of musicians and warriors dressed in ancient ceremonial armor. Each procession came behind a different banner.

One with the colors and symbols of the Haruno and the other with those belonging to the Lee.

After them came Sango Haruno who was dressed in the same attire Naruto and his group already saw and on the other side came Lady Raika.

As Hinata's eyes and that of Naruto, Haku and Tayuya fell on Lady Raika they couldn't believe their own eyes. For Lady Raika was perhaps one of the most beautiful women that had ever seen in their lives.

Lady Raika had a long flowing mane of black hair framing a finely cut face with black eyes. Her body was gently curvaceous and it was wrapped in a fine dress of leaf green and white jewelry.

"Hard to believe she's Lee's mom, huh?" said Sakura to the shocked Hinata who just nodded with an open mouth.

As soon as the musicians dropped the fanfare music and began a gentler tune Lady Sango raised her fist to acknowledge her lifelong friend and then bowed her head to honor the clan's ancestors.

Lady Raika did the same to honor her friend and the ancestors of the house she was guest to.

"Come, let us grab a seat" said Sakura gently pulling the still astonished Hinata towards the table as to seat next to Naruto and his group.

As soon as every guest was seated the drinks began to be poured Lady Raika said "It's been so long since beloved Sakura returned home isn't it? In a melodious voice that once more made Naruto and his retinue wonder what forsaken god had denied Lee from inheriting any of his mother's wondrous traits.

"Yes it has been some time Lady Raika" drily replied Sakura earning her a disapproving glare from her mother.

Naruto, Hinata and the others smiled awkwardly at the evidently uncomfortable atmosphere that was being built in the hall.

"Sakura my dear, would you be as kind as to introduce me to your guests?" asked Lady Raika with her eyes already fixed on the anguish ridden Naruto who fidgeted nervously.

"Of course Lady Raika; this is Justicar Naruto Uzumaki and his retinue. Hinata Hyuuga, Tayuya Hokumon and Haku Momochi, I asked them to come here for we have Justicar business to attend to, so we won't be on Hercia for long" said Sakura with a barely respectful tone.

"Justicar Uzumaki, I have heard much from you. A Feranian if I am correct and the hero of Soundya hostage situation and eventual rebellion; no wonder Sakura why Sakura dotes on you so much" said Lady Raika with a false smile.

"Thank you very much Lady Raika, but it's my duty so no praise is necessary for what is already expected of me" said Naruto trying to sound confident albeit the whole situation was proving to be too much for the simpler minded Naruto.

"True enough, there's is honor in duty and being faithful to that is important for if people stopped fulfilling their duties then where would we find ourselves?" said Lady Raika drifting her eyes to Sakura who looked back undimmed and defiant.

"In a very un-youthful place without a doubt!" added Lee completely or willfully oblivious to the whole situation.

Smiling Lady Raika said "Of course my son, it would be a very bad existence is people suddenly stopped fulfilling their duties. Such characters can't possibly have a shred of honor in them"

Haku and Tayuya seemed rather uncomfortable with the subtle jabs one side and the other were throwing to one another and just prayed that the food would be brought soon as to shut them up already.

Hinata observed them and felt pity but to her this was also an important moment and so her attention was undivided.

As if a merciful angel had heard them the food was brought in long trays of silver and portions were cut and served to everyone.

With this everyone began to eat in silence with the musicians providing a lively tune for the background.

After being done eating a light dessert was brought and here it was where Hinata sensed that things would finally play out.

"My dear Sakura, don't you feel it has been long enough of you prancing around the galaxy playing the spy for the Federation? It's not the Hercian manner to do things underhandedly" said Lady Raika.

"The job of a Justicar is much more than spying on others my Lady, not to mention that I have saved countless lives. And don't forget that your son has been part of that for as long as I have" replied Sakura smartly earning approving nods from Haku and Tayuya.

"Nevertheless Sakura, you are the heir to the Haruno clan. You'll eventually have to leave that life behind as to fulfill your duties to your family and people" added Sango trying to stop the useless word fight and get back to the topic at hand.

"The day is still far from us mother. You and Lady Raika are only 60 years old and still have several centuries ahead of you to properly lead the clan without relinquishing leadership" replied Sakura softening her sight for he mother.

"That's not the point Sakura. The longer you spend away from the Clan the less willing they will be to follow you and obey when the time comes" said Sango with a bit of exasperation that told Hinata this was not the first time she brought the subject to her daughter.

"Then give it to someone else! Who cares about who leads what? We have plenty of qualified relatives who also share blood ties to our mighty ancestors" replied Sakura making her mother sigh in annoyance.

"That's not our ways Sakura. The clan would be diminished in the face of the others" replied Sango earning a nod from Lady Raika.

"This is quite intriguing don't you agree?" muttered Haku to Tayuya who nodded as she discreetly munched some sweet snacks.

Hinata observed them with disapproval but agreed that indeed this was like going to the theater.

"And so would be mine Sakura. Would you be able to still call yourself a Hercian if you did that?" asked Lady Raika with subtlety completely missing in her son.

Sakura sighed and said "How about we cut to the chase? This whole theater is about me, or rather you two, honoring the pact of brotherhood correct?"

"Once more I urge you Sakura, this is not only about you! It's about the honor of our ancestors and every single one of our clansmen" said Sango losing a bit of composure and showing a side of herself that resembled Sakura making Hinata smile.

"A pact made by two men who lived way long before anyone of us was born! And a pact both of you conspired to see fulfilled! But if you want to see it made so badly then have Lee marry one of my countless cousins" said an exasperated Sakura who probably said the same thing many times over before.

"My son will not marry a lesser woman of the Haruno" stated Lady Raika making his son look ashamed.

"Sakura, not honoring the pact might sour centuries of brotherhood among our clans. Don't you care about that?" asked Sango in a more soothing voice.

"If we are such brothers in arms already and many of our clansmen already saved one another's lives countless times before; Then what does a marriage would do that could weaken our bonds? Or are they so weak that a single refusal would shatter them forever?" said Sakura earning nods even from Hinata.

"How dare you!" half yelled Lady Raika showing some emotion for the first time and genuinely scaring Haku, Tayuya and Hinata.

"This is a thing that has taken centuries to finally come to fulfillment Sakura, many in both Clans have been waiting a long time for this to happen. Heck, we even built those two statues as a symbol to that!" said Sango trying to put some sense in Sakura.

Sighing Sakura got on her feet and said "I think we won't be going anywhere with this…"

"Please don't leave again Sakura, we truly need an answer from you" said Sango.

"It's that Justicar isn't it?!" demanded Lady Raika sending bolts towards a nervous Naruto.

"This isn't about anyone but me you pair of numbskulls!" yelled Sakura stomping on the ground with a loud boom.

"Don't I have any word in all this? Can't I give my heart freely to anyone of my choosing? I am Sakura before being a Haruno and I am done with being treated like some bargaining chip in an oath made by two dead men! What do they care anymore? They are gone and the affairs of the living no longer concern them! Our clans are already like family and the only one making a fuss of things are you two!" screamed Sakura finally venting all of her frustration, one Hinata could sympathize with more than anyone in this hall.

Before any of the two ladies could say anything Sakura slammed her fist against the table almost splitting it and said with a growl "But I am done running away, like a Hercian I'll stand and fight this unwanted fate you two selfishly conspired to make happen"

"What do you mean Sakura?" asked Sango while Hinata feared that she would shame Lee by refusing him.

"Rock Lee, heir of the Lee Clan; I, Sakura Haruno, challenge you to a contest of strength for the right of my hand in marriage. Should you win I'll relent and become your wife in the future but if I win, my fate will be my own to decide…what say you?" asked Sakura with all the hostility and determination she could muster in her icy glare.

This left everyone in the hall agape with shock for not even Hinata could have foreseen this outcome. Haku and Tayuya were on the edge of their seats…

Lady Raika was about to say something when Lee standing up said in his most serious tone "I accept your terms Lady Sakura of the Haruno"

Lady Sango swallowed hard and rising, knowing that forms needed to be observed, she said "This challenge has been made under my roof and as such I stand witness to the wager and place my honor on seeing its fulfillment whatever the outcome. Contestants, you may choose your shield bearers and present yourselves in the hall of honor"

Sakura then turned and said to Naruto "Will Justicar Naruto Uzumaki make me the honor of being my Shield Bearer?"

Naruto just nodded while Lee called out across the room and said "Will Lady Hinata be my Shield Bearer?"

Hinata panicked turned to look at Haku and Tayuya who seemed petrified at what was going on and gulping down she just nodded as well and then turned to look at the equally conflicted Naruto.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

Lady Sango led everyone to the "Hall of Honor" which was according to her an ancient sacred hall standing since the days when the Haruno carved their home into the mountain they resided within.

The room was very large natural cave smoothed by stone masons and decorated with banners and trophies from every single foe the Haruno have defeated in wars.

According to her, many duels have been fought here and on more than one occasion a stubborn Hercian has found death in it as he or she has refused to grant victory and so the duels are fought until one side either yields, drops unconscious or dies.

Sakura had changed into her training attire and had combed her hair into a long thick braid that hung heavily on her back. For this challenge though she had removed the Justicar signet and instead had placed on her head a bronze circlet with an ancient Haruno symbol carved in it.

Lee on the other side had also changed into his training attires and also removed the retinue signet and placed a gold armlet with the symbol of his house on it.

Sango beckoned both contestants to the middle of the hall.

Sakura winked and smiled tenderly at Naruto and without a word between them left with a long stride while Lee punched his knuckles together and turned from Hinata who had wanted to give some sort of encouragement but found herself lacking any words for the current situation was a very ugly business from any angle one decided to look at it.

Both contestants got to the center and clasped their hands in the greet of a warrior and then took a step back.

Lee was surprised though for she didn't found any trace of hostility or disgust from Sakura as he had been expecting.

"The rules are already known to both but I'll pronounce them for our guests and shield bearers. They are simple, this is a hand to hand combat with no weapons whatsoever; any punch to any place is valid and will not be looked down upon for combat is a life and dead situation and holding back is an insult to honor. The victor will be declared when the opponent yields, falls unconscious or die, and as for the shield bearers, you are not to intrude in any way and you may step in to assist at the end of the combat. Should any of them perish here you are to carry out their funerary rites in the custom of Hercia" said Sango clearly disappointed and a bit worried.

Naruto and Hinata shared a look as Sakura and Lee took a couple of steps back from one another. And it broke Hinata's heart to see the sadness in Naruto's eyes over the coming struggle.

Sakura took a long breath and said in a voice clear a clarion "Lee, do not hold back for anything you hear me? I'll kill you and never forgive you if you do!"

Lee gulped but nonetheless he nodded as he admired the fiery beauty of Sakura as the object of his adoration of so many years readied herself to fight.

Sakura acknowledged Lee and clasping her hands in a prayer like position let out a piercing cry that made Tayuya cringe with pain and everyone else but Naruto jump back. At this Sakura's psionic power came to the fore in a green aura that covered her body completely and in Hinata's perspective increased all of her abilities exponentially.

Hinata then understood that back then when she had faced Sakura, she had been lucky that the Hercian warrior had gone easy on her though how she won still left some doubts on that regard…

Lee seemed unfazed by Sakura's display and in turn separated his own legs from one another and pulling his arms next to his body he shouted and right after his body began to tremble at an incredible pace while his skin adopted a red hue that Hinata guessed was the blood running through his body at an incredible pace and swelling his every single vein with the rushing liquid.

Baring his teeth Lee inclined his body towards Sakura before disappearing into thin air with a boom of sound in less than a blink she had struck Sakura who somehow had managed to block his kick with two handed block.

At this Lee disappeared again and now he had kicked low aiming to drop Sakura but once more she had now resisted the strike by angling her leg in the proper way and planting her foot strongly against the ground.

Both continued with this amazing combat for a few instants that Hinata took to observe the rest of the audience gathered in the hall.

Lady Sango and Raika stood there with mouths slightly opened clearly in surprise of their offspring's mighty performance that Hinata betted far outclassed any other Hercian warrior.

Haku and Tayuya watched with wide eyes the strikes on the field became louder and louder.

And finally she observed Naruto who seemed the most serene as if this display was the most normal thing in the world and at closer inspection Hinata saw that his eyes moved incredibly fast which told her that he was managing to follow Lee's movements.

Not wanting to be left out Hinata focused and with less pain than in previous occasions she activated her own Psionic power and so the world plunged once more into shades of grey but at least the combatants in front of her became clearer.

Lee shone like a bright star moving and jumping all around Sakura trying to land a significant blow to win the contest but to her surprise Sakura stood her ground time and time again with her aura shining less brilliantly than Lee's but closer to her body and more focused.

Seeing how Lee used his energy Hinata couldn't help but think that this was no contest at all despite his best effort.

Then Hinata's breath was taken when Sakura grabbed Lee's leg in mid air and circling into his guard slammed a hammering blow to his chest that crashed him into the ground with a loud boom.

Sakura jumped lightly back and re adopted a fighting stance that gave no feints or openings.

Lee dragged himself from the hole with his energies slightly dimmed and once more launched himself at Sakura who caught Lee's fist and holding to it, Sakura spun on her heel and threw him to a far wall where he managed to land on his feet and use the momentum to gather strength and shoot himself at Sakura who this time didn't managed to stop him.

But to Hinata's surprise Sakura received the punch with her stomach and refusing to bend skidded back.

Hinata observed that Sakura's energies were focused on her abdomen and immediately thought that even if her body couldn't match her thinking, her energies clearly could and had used them to brace herself to the impact.

Lee though didn't let up his attack and managed to land several earth shattering blows on Sakura who took them all on a boxer's defensive stance making Lady Raika smile thinking that the proud Haruno girl was being fed her own confidence.

But Hinata's eyes told a different story for Sakura's energies began to flare and become brighter every passing moment, telling her as well that the fight was coming to an end though she feared of what manner.

As Lee jumped far into the back he shouted focusing the last of his strength into a spinning leap that gave him momentum for a devastating and probably murderous kick.

Lee flew like a spinning bullet and right by Sakura's side he up righted himself and began the final turn to deliver his kick.

But Sakura, very likely out of experience, turned to face Lee and with a fierce "Shanaro!" she directed her clenched fist to meet with Lee's incoming leg.

The equally strong blow made Lee stop right in midair in astonishment and pain but that small gap was all Sakura needed to land a second karate like punch straight into Lee's chest propelling him like a cannon ball to a wall where he was incrusted in a loud crash.

Hinata's eyes saw how Lee's energies dissipated and with that she sighed and knew the bout was over.

Sakura breathed out dispelling her own focused energies and held her now shattered hand but showing no pain on her face walked unsteadily towards where Lee remained incrusted in the wall.

"I am so sorry, I couldn't make it…Guess you are truly beyond my reach Sakura" said a pained Lee on the wall.

"You sure are dumb as you look Lee…You took this challenge the same way you always have" said Sakura with a stern voice.

"You just don't get it don't you? I am no goddess you try to prove yourself worth to and I am no trophy or reward you get for giving it your all! I am your fellow Hercian and no more!" yelled Sakura turning her anger at her mother and Lady Raika who observed with wide stares.

"I am Sakura Haruno and I not bound by any other pledges than those I make! And anyone who doubts me can challenge it here anytime and anyday!" said Sakura turning back to Lee.

"Naruto Uzumaki is the man I love and nothing will change that anytime soon Lee. But that doesn't mean that I am to trample your feeling like nothing" said Sakura reaching her broken hand at Lee who at first was weary to hold it less he hurt her further.

But at Sakura's compelling he took it wincing at his own injuries and making Sakura shut an eye with the effort.

Sakura then grabbed Lee's wrist in a warriors greeting and said with solemnity "But you are my partner, my friend and today I want to make you my brother. Here I pledge a new oath of brotherhood to you Lee and no one else"

Lee's eyes went wide at first but looking the battered hand of Sakura holding him he sighed closing his eyes and letting out the last tear he would shed over his unrequited love he grinned brightly and holding Sakura tightly he replied "From this day onwards I name you Sakura Haruno my sister in arms. May our brotherhood last to the day we enter the halls of our ancestors"

Sakura nodded and granting Lee a mercy she leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

With that Lee collapsed while smiling into Sakura's embrace who whispered "Just this time I guess…"

Tayuya was in tears while Haku nodded as if pleased with the outcome.

Lady Sango and Raika seemed shocked but seeing their offspring finally setting the issue just nodded their acceptance for at least honor had been preserved and maybe someday Lee's and Sakura's children may finally fulfill the oath.

Hinata was glad that everything ended well but she then turned to Naruto who looked genuinely disquieted over Sakura's loud and clear confession.

xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo xoxoxoxo

After the contest was over and medics had gone over Sakura and Lee's injuries Sakura had taken Naruto to her chambers alone and though Tayuya had raved over the perverseness of the pink haired Justicar who wanted to celebrate, Hinata had seen their mood and knew that no love making was going to happen in there.

Neither exited the room until after midday of the following day…

Hinata, Tayuya and Haku were once more in their original garments feeling now heavily underdressed after the fine garments they had been lent and made a mental note to buy better clothes on the next stop they made on a nice planet or station.

Tayuya had attempted to keep the jewels but two hulking Haruno warriors had identified her intentions and a simple threatening glance was enough to make the red hair the utmost law abiding citizen.

The three were waiting in a reception hall seating on a neat couch in silence until Tayuya said with bit of jealousy "Boy, can they go at it! It's already midday and we are running late!"

"Late for what Tayuya? We don't have any pending missions that I know of" replied Haku making Tayuya growl.

"I don't think they are doing what you think Tayuya" said Hinata absent mindedly making Haku and Tayuya turn to look at her.

"What makes you say that?" asked Haku with interest.

"Oh, you know something we don't do you?" said Tayuya with a smug face.

"Never mind me!" said Hinata trying to end the matter there.

"I won't have any of that princess! Either you tell us or I'll make you with my flute!" threatened a grinning Tayuya as she spun her flute on her fingers.

At this Hinata stood up and tried to pry the flute from Tayuya who kept her at bay with a hand to her large chest which helped the red hair in keeping her away.

Just as Hinata was about to beg the doors of the room opened and through them entered a heavy bandaged Lee on crutches with Sakura and Naruto walking behind him.

"Well, it sure was a very intense couple of days but duty never ends" declared Sakura in a confident manner slightly pushing Lee forward.

Naruto nodded silently though his expression was too even for him making him somehow look out of place there.

Sakura then with narrowed eyes leapt at Hinata and Tayuya and holding Tayuya in her arms before the red hair could even react, she said "I have to collect my due over Naruto's transgressions!" and kissed Tayuya deeply.

Hinata almost screamed as Tayuya's eyes shot wide open and she struggled in vain against the implacable hold of Sakura and after a few moments stopped fighting at all.

Withdrawing her tongue from Tayuya's mouth Sakura licked her lips and gently laid the red hair to rest on the couch while saying "We will have to catch up later beautiful…"

Sakura then turned to Hinata who placed her arms in defense for she feared a similar treatment but was surprised when Sakura hugged her normally albeit a bit too tight for her liking.

"Take care of him…" whispered Sakura in a sad tone that took Hinata's breath from her but as quick as the moment had been, Sakura released her and returning to her usual self pumped her fist into the air and began walking to the exit with a limping Lee in front of her.

Turning to watch at Naruto and then at Hinata Sakura winked and said "I'll be seeing you both later!"

"Sis Sakura, that habit of yours is very un youthful! People will think you deviant! But don't worry, your beloved little brother will turn you into a proper lady!" said Lee with conviction.

"I am a deviant…" thought Sakura and with a sigh she said "Yeah right Lee, come on! And what's that of me being your older sister when I am younger than you!" while gently pushing Lee towards the exit.

"That's simple! Little brothers are by norm cute!" replied Lee earning a slap on the back of his head.

With that Sakura and Lee left Naruto and his companions alone.

Haku had managed to rouse Tayuya from her reverie over being defiled (again) and the group made their way back to the shuttle off from Hercia and back to the Daring Fox in the aegis station of the planet.

They had plotted a course for a planet where they would re stock and take a small rest.

Finally onboard Hinata was as usually reading a slate of information while Tayuya had already gone to sleep and Haku was watching over the ship's instruments at the cockpit.

As she was about to end her reading session and go to sleep Naruto entered the common area and watching Hinata he almost doubled up but stopped and without turning he asked "Say Hinata…"

And turning with eyes brimming with tears he said "Why do I feel, as if I lost something very important?

**AN: Done at last!**

**Hello my beloved readers! Been a long time right?**

**First than anything I want to say that I am very sorry over having neglected this story, especially after the extremely good response from the previous chapter some months ago.**

**The reason was a combination of factors such as being conflicted over what to do with the NaruSaku, NaruHina thing, playing the Star Wars MMO like a drone and the conclusion of my first project.**

**I went over the last chapter several times and upon reading some very intense and sound reviews I decided to play things in this manner so I hope people is relatively satisfied. For those who expected me to write a flame on Sakura, know that I dislike such things in a story and the moment I read them on other's story I stop right then and there because is an ugly cheap shot at pandering.**

**On future chapters we will have the proper development of NaruHina and at last the grand entrance of the Feranian species as a whole and the final arc of this story.**

**So as always I am open to helpful criticism, suggestions and questions.**

**Read, Enjoy and Review!**


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